How Republicans Propose Changing Obamacare

The Affordable Care Act (A.C.A.) requires people who can afford it to obtain health insurance or face tax penalties. This part of the law was meant to keep insurance affordable for those who are older or sick.

The Republican plan eliminates the individual mandate, which means that people will not have to pay a penalty if they go without insurance. One possible impact, though, is that healthy people may be less likely to buy insurance, driving up prices for those who need it most, like older people and the sick.

Under the A.C.A., larger companies must provide affordable insurance to their employees or face financial penalties.

Under the A.C.A., the federal government provides tax credits to middle-income Americans on a sliding scale according to income, to help offset the cost of premiums and deductibles.

The Republican plan changes the way subsidies will be distributed by using age, instead of income, as a way to calculate how much people will receive. In practice, this means that an older person with a six-figure salary would receive a larger tax credit than a middle-age person with lower income.

Under the A.C.A., more than 30 states expanded Medicaid coverage by raising the eligibility cutoff to 138 percent of the poverty level.

The Republican plan allows states to maintain the expansion, but reduces the reimbursement states would get. The plan also proposes changing Medicaid from an entitlement program, where the funding grows based on need, to a block grant or a per capita allotment. These changes mean that many states may end up covering fewer people or providing fewer health services to people enrolled in the program.

Under the current law, in 2017, an individual can put away $3,400 and a family $6,750 into a tax-free health savings account.

The Republican plan allows people to put substantially more money into their health savings account and lets spouses make additional contributions.

Under the A.C.A., children can stay on their parents' insurance policies until age 26.

The A.C.A. requires insurers to cover people regardless of pre-existing medical conditions, and bars the companies from charging more based on a person's health history.

Under the A.C.A., plans can charge their oldest customers only three times the prices charged to the youngest ones.

Under the A.C.A., all insurers must offer 10 essential health benefits, including maternity care and preventive services.

The A.C.A. bars insurers from setting any limit on how much they have to pay to cover someone.