Dr. Merrill Matthews, a health policy expert with the Institute for Policy Innovation, says Republicans decided to keep things such as guaranteed issue in the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017.
"That requires insurers to accept anybody who applies in the individual market, and they cannot charge more for a medical condition," he explains. "As a result, you have an incentive – as an individual – to wait until you need medical care, [then] go and join a health insurance policy. The insurance company can't reject you and you're not going to be charged more for it. So it creates what we call 'adverse selection' in the individual market."
To be clear, Matthews says he's not talking about the group market, Medicare, or Medicaid.
"If you're eligible for Medicare, and you turn 65, you will get Medicare even if you have a cancer or another major medical condition," he continues. "We're talking about that individual market where individuals go out and buy their own policies."
According to Matthews, that constituted around 16 million Americans prior to ObamaCare.
"It's more like 22 million now," he adds. "But you create the economic incentive for people to game the system – and that's what's happening to ObamaCare right now."
Republicans, along with President Trump, are discussing how to move forward on healthcare reform. While they say it will be done, and it will be done right, polling has found very low support for the Senate healthcare bill in its present state.