There are a whole lot of things in this budget deal, but something that's not in there is anything to promote stability in the ACA marketplace.
Insurers start to submit proposed marketplace premiums for 2019 on May 9, so the clock is ticking if Congress is going to do anything to blunt the effect on premiums of repealing the individual mandate penalty.
Subsidies will protect low-income marketplace enrollees from premium hikes in response to repeal of the individual mandate penalty. It's middle-class people buying their own insurance who will continue to get creamed.
There are two measures that could help middle-class people buying their own insurance:
1. Reinsurance for high-cost patients, which would help bring premiums down if there's enough funding.
2. Extending ACA premium subsidies to people with incomes above 400% of the poverty level.
1. Reinsurance for high-cost patients, which would help bring premiums down if there's enough funding.
2. Extending ACA premium subsidies to people with incomes above 400% of the poverty level.
There seems to be interest lately among Republicans in reinsurance to help offset premiums increases in the individual insurance market. That may be because they've seen our polling suggesting that the public will blame them for ACA problems going forward. 
