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business Tuesday 27 OcTOber 2020
Liz Weston: How losing Obamacare could cost you

By LIZ WESTON of NerdWal- executive order in Septem- time. People who were
let ber announcing "a stead- sick enough could hit those
If the Supreme Court throws fast commitment to always caps and be on the hook
out the Affordable Care protecting individuals with for 100% of their medical
Act, your finances and your preexisting conditions," but costs afterward.
future could pay the price. the order alone can't force OTHER POTENTIAL SIDE EF-
Retiring early or starting a insurers to offer coverage if FECTS
business might become the ACA is struck down. Millions could become un-
too hazardous if your ac- And America is a land of insured if the ACA exchang-
cess to health insurance preexisting conditions. Half es are shut down, expand-
isn't guaranteed. You might of adults under age 65, or ed Medicaid coverage
have to wait a year before up to 133 million people, is rescinded and insurers
preexisting conditions are had health issues that could are no longer required to
covered by an employer's cause them to be denied cover children under 26 on
plan. Young adults could coverage or charged ex- their parents' plans. Some
be kicked off their parents' orbitant premiums, accord- employers may continue
policies. Millions of people This file photo provided by NerdWallet shows Liz Weston, a ing to a 2017 government dependent coverage,
who buy insurance through columnist for personal finance website NerdWallet.com. analysis. since young people in gen-
Associated Press
the ACA marketplaces or 'USE IT AND LOSE IT' COVER- eral tend to use less health
who now qualify for Medic- could change if Obam- cancer or heart disease as AGE care. But young people in
aid could lose their cover- acare is struck down. Its ef- well as more common con- Health insurance is meant poor health or with preex-
age as well. fects on health care are so ditions such as high choles- to help people pay their isting conditions could be
Even if you were able to pervasive that nearly every terol, high blood pressure, medical expenses and shut out.
keep your health insurance, American could be affect- asthma, diabetes and obe- avoid potentially cata- Without the ACA, insurers
you could face caps on ed, according to the Kaiser sity, and temporary condi- strophic bills. Before Obam- could once again charge
your coverage that expose Family Foundation, which tions including pregnancy. acare, however, using your copayments or coinsur-
you to enormous medical tracks health care issues. Insurers denied about 1 in insurance could cause you ance for preventive care,
bills. Preventive care and THE RETURN OF PREEXISTING 5 applications for individual to lose it. including screenings, im-
birth control could cost CONDITIONS policies because of preex- If someone with an indi- munizations, annual check-
you more. Medicare ben- The Trump administration isting conditions, and some vidual insurance policy got ups and birth control. Medi-
eficiaries could face higher and a group of Repub- employer-provided group sick, the insurer could scour care beneficiaries could
premiums, deductibles and lican attorneys general policies required people the person's application once again have to pay for
copays. Insurers could can- have asked that the entire to wait up to a year before looking for errors. Even mi- certain services, including
cel your policy retroactive- law be thrown out. The Su- their preexisting conditions nor mistakes could cause screenings for breast can-
ly for even minor mistakes preme Court is scheduled were covered. the company to revoke the cer, colorectal cancer, car-
on your application. to hear oral arguments on Back then, many people policy, a practice called diovascular disease and di-
In the decade since the Nov. 10. who had health issues — or rescission. Under the ACA, abetes. The law also closed
ACA became law, many Before the ACA, insurers whose family members did rescissions are allowed only the infamous "doughnut
Americans have become routinely used preexisting — avoided changing jobs, if there's fraud or a material hole" in Medicare's pre-
so accustomed to the pro- health conditions as a rea- starting businesses or retir- misrepresentation of facts. scription drug coverage
tections and savings af- son to deny coverage or ing early because of the Policies also routinely had that left many older people
forded by the landmark charge people more. Pre- risk they couldn't find af- caps that limited how paying thousands of dollars
legislation that they may existing conditions includ- fordable health insurance. much insurers had to pay out of pocket for their med-
not realize how much ed serious ailments such as President Trump signed an out over someone's life- ication. q

Dunkin' shares hit all-time high after holding buyout talks

By DEE-ANN DURBIN Dunkin' shares jumped 16% rants permanently. Dunkin'
AP Business Writer to $104.87. Brands reported full-year
The Dunkin' doughnuts Dunkin', based in Canton, sales of $1.4 billion in 2019,
and coffee chain con- Massachusetts, also owns up 4% from the previous
firmed it's held talks to be the Baskin-Robbins ice year.
taken private by a private cream chain. There are Atlanta's Inspire Brands,
equity firm, sending shares 13,000 Dunkin' stores and which was founded in
rocketing to an all-time 8,000 Baskin-Robbins out- 2018, is quickly placed it-
high at the opening bell lets worldwide. self among the largest res-
Monday. Both brands have signifi- taurant groups in the U.S. It
Dunkin' Brands Group said cant history. Dunkin' was also owns the Buffalo Wild
it's in preliminary discus- founded in 1950 in Quincy, Wings and Sonic burger
sions with Inspire Brands, Massachusetts. Baskin- chains, and has annual
which also owns Arby's Robbins — known for its sales of more than $14 bil-
and Jimmy John's Sand- promise of 31 flavors — lion.
wiches. In a prepared was founded in 1945 in Dunkin' would give Inspire
statement Sunday, Dunkin' Glendale, California. a spot in the breakfast This May 7, 2020, file photo, shows a Dunkin' Donuts at the
said it was not yet certain But the global pandem- category, which was the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport in Moon, Pa.
Associated Press
a deal would be reached ic has hurt sales. Dunkin' fastest-growing segment
and would not comment Brands revenue fell 20% in of the restaurant industry Capital Group, also based and Cinnabon — and CKE
further. the second quarter, and before the pandemic hit. in Atlanta. Roark also backs Restaurants, which owns
Inspire Brands said it had the company said fran- Inspire is part of the private Focus Brands — the owner the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's
no comment Monday, but chisees closed 200 restau- equity company Roark of Auntie Anne's Pretzels burger chains.q