Expanding coverage eligibility under the ACA would help reduce the number of uninsured individuals in the U.S. and shift the payer mix toward Medicaid and private insurance coverage. This shift would help mitigate revenue pressures that hospitals are facing amid the pandemic, according to Fitch.
Fitch said the Biden administration is expected to raise the upper-income eligibility limit for healthcare premium subsidies, increase premium tax credits for those buying an ACA plan, increase the Medicaid poverty-level threshold and encourage the 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA to adopt expanded coverage.
Congress may also seek to pass a bill to lower prescription drug prices and the minimum age for Medicare qualification, but will face political hurdles, Fitch said.
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