The tax bill was moving full-speed ahead in mid-December. That trajectory moved it right to the President’s desk on December 20. Check out this excellent summary of how the final bill might affect you.

We tracked two health care provisions in the bill – the individual mandate repeal and the elimination of the high-cost medical deduction. The outcome was a mixed bag. The individual mandate is repealed beginning in 2019. This will add to uncertainty in the individual market in the coming year. Insurers will assess whether they can offer affordable coverage in 2019 (though premiums will surely increase), and decide whether to participate at all. People will decide if they should, or must, go without coverage – which may have a significant impact on the risk pool. And the impact isn’t limited to the individual market. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects over the next decade, two to three million fewer individuals will have employer coverage. This decline is because the penalties for the employer mandate are tied to the Exchange and only imposed if one or more employees receive premium tax credits through the Exchange. Fewer Exchange enrollees may get large employers off the hook.

Fortunately, the high-cost medical deduction was preserved, and even enhanced for 2017 and 2018. The deduction’s threshold will be lowered from 10% to 7.5% of adjusted gross income, before reverting to 10% in 2019. The high-cost medical deduction is critically important for many seniors, individuals with disabilities, and others facing high medical costs. In addition to helping the uninsured, it helps those who are under-insured. But it is no substitute for comprehensive health coverage.