Three associations representing hospitals and health insurers appear resigned to the fact that Republicans will likely repeal the Affordable Care Act once a new Congress is installed next year, but the groups are hoping lawmakers do it in such a way to blunt the damage such a radical policy shift could have on their industries.

Repealing Obamacare without replacing it with a new policy could leave 22 million Americans without health insurance. America's Health Insurance Plans—which represents a large segment of the insurance industry—is cautioning that failing to provide government assistance to help low-income Americans purchase health coverage would have far-reaching consequences, the New York Times reported.

"The market has already been a little wobbly this year," AHIP CEO Marilyn Tavenner told the newspaper. "If insurance companies believe cost-sharing subsidies will not continue, they are going to pull out of the market during the next logical opportunity." http://nyti.ms/2h3aBIo

The American Hospital Association and Federation of American Hospitals issued a similar warning in a 41-page report sent to President-elect Donald Trump and congressional leaders. The groups asked lawmakers to restore Medicaid and Medicare funding cuts to help hospitals offset the hundreds of billions of dollars in costs hospitals will incur if a large group of Americans lose health coverage.

"Losses of this magnitude cannot be sustained and will adversely impact patients' access to care, decimate hospitals' and health systems' ability to provide services, weaken local economies that hospitals help sustain and grow, and result in massive job losses," AHA CEO Rick Pollack and FAH CEO Chip Kahn said in a joint statement.

The CEOs also said their groups are willing to work with Trump and lawmakers on a policy solution.

"We strongly believe that any repeal legislation must be accompanied by provisions that protect the coverage for those currently receiving such protection," they said. "However, if that is not the legislative path to be pursued, then it is vital that such legislation provide a true clean slate and also include repeal of the reductions in payments for hospitals services embedded in the ACA—specifically the substantial reductions to hospitals' annual inflation updates and the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid DSH payments." http://bit.ly/2h6remH

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