Health care details

Here are highlights of the Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA), compared with current law:

►Coverage: To be determined. Under the Obama program, about 11 million people are covered by expanded Medicaid in the 31 states that accepted it. Nationwide, an additional 12 million buy private health insurance through government-sponsored markets that offer plans with subsidized premiums. The national uninsured rate is below 9 percent, a historic low. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the original version of the Republican bill would result in 24 million fewer people having health insurance by 2026, compared to the Affordable Care Act (ACA.) GOP leaders say updated figures will be ready by the time the bill goes to the floor.

►Older adults: Under the ACA, insurers can charge their oldest customers no more than 3 times what they charge young adults. That benefits older adults prone to illness but has made coverage costly for young people. Tax credits to help pay premiums are keyed to income and the cost of insurance in local communities. Under the original GOP bill, insurers can charge older customers 5 times what they charge young adults. Tax credits are keyed to age, with people over 60 but still too young for Medicare getting $4,000, which is double what someone under 30 would get. The latest changes address concerns that older adults, particularly those with lower incomes, will not get enough help. The changes pave the way for the Senate to make tax credit more generous for people ages 50 to 64.

►Medicaid: Under the ACA, states that accept expanded Medicaid receive a generous federal match. The expansion covers people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line, or about $16,640 for an individual. Most new beneficiaries are low-income adults with no children at home. Medicaid, which covers more than 70 million people through a federal-state collaboration, is an open-ended entitlement, allowing states to draw down federal money for a portion of health costs incurred by low-income people. The GOP bill ends the higher federal match for Medicaid expansion beneficiaries. States that already expanded Medicaid can continue to receive some enhanced federal payments, but only for enrollees already covered. The bill also halts open-ended federal financing for Medicaid.

SOURCE: Associated Press