CLEVELAND (Sept. 18, 2012)—Even if Mitt Romney wins the presidency in November, the Republican Party won't be able to dismantle the Affordable Care Act as quickly or completely as it promised, according to Martin Hauser, president of Akron-based SummaCare Inc.
“That horse has left the barn,” Hauser told attendees of the International Tire Exhibition and Conference at Cleveland's I-X Center Sept. 18.
Many of the provisions of the ACA that have already gone into effect, or that are scheduled to do so next year, will be difficult if not impossible to reverse, Hauser said. These include a prohibition against denying coverage to children with pre-existing conditions and a ban on lifetime coverage limits.
The health exchange program, through which individuals must purchase health insurance if their employers don't offer it, will remain in place, though a GOP White House and Congress could delay implementation and funding, Hauser said.