What would the consequences of repealing the Affordable Care Act have on America’s healthcare, economy and public safety? More than 20 million Americans could lose their coverage, while an additional 135 million individuals may experience loss of protections for preexisting conditions.
Eliminating Medicaid expansion, a critical safety net for low-income families and communities of color, would exacerbate racial disparities in health outcomes and access to care. Furthermore, it revers the gains made possible by the Affordable Care Act on employment which narrowed gaps in access to health care and helped thwart the COVID-19 pandemic.
Costs
What would the consequences of repealing the Affordable Care Act have on health care spending and coverage?
The ACA has drastically cut healthcare costs by $2.3 trillion, increasing Americans’ incomes and giving them more money to spend on items that enhance their lives.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act will undo these gains and return millions of Americans to their pre-ACA financial situation. This is because the ACA makes coverage affordable for low income people, while many small businesses provide insurance as part of their benefits package.
Removing the Affordable Care Act will mean millions of Americans will no longer have access to preventive services like mammograms and cancer screenings, which are essential for early detection and treatment of diseases like Gaucher disease that could have life-threatening complications. Furthermore, eliminating Medicaid Drug Rebate Program will drive up prescription drug costs for millions, leading to a devastating impact on individuals’ quality of life as well as that of their families.
Coverage
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was implemented to improve access to quality health care, reduce insurance costs and bring down medical expenses associated with illness and injury. It includes state health insurance exchanges, premium tax credits and Medicaid expansions that were previously unavailable.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates health insurance companies to cover a range of “essential” benefits such as maternity, mental health and pediatric dental. Furthermore, it prohibits lifetime and annual dollar caps on coverage, restricts preexisting condition exclusions and sets up state rate reviews for premium increases due to insurance company changes.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has its drawbacks. One such issue is its obstruction of private health insurance industry competition and potential increase in coverage costs by increasing uninsured Americans’ numbers. Other shortcomings include lack of oversight and transparency. Despite these drawbacks, however, the ACA has made a substantial impact on our healthcare system and provided us with unprecedented access to affordable health coverage.
Pre-existing conditions
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibits health insurers from charging people with pre-existing conditions higher premiums, excluding coverage for services related to those conditions, or denying them coverage outright. It also requires insurance plans to cover essential health benefits (EHBs) and eliminating lifetime benefit caps on individual or family policies purchased by individuals or families.
In the event of repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), up to 24 million Americans could lose protection against catastrophic medical bills. Furthermore, millions more would face life-altering lifetime limits on their insurance benefits, meaning they would face being denied these resources just when they needed them most.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act would likely result in sharp increases in uncompensated care costs, leaving millions with pre-existing conditions facing exclusions or higher premiums. This would exacerbate racial disparities in healthcare and make it harder for individuals and families to access quality, affordable healthcare services.
Access to care
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has ensured Americans access to essential health care services and prevention benefits. It requires insurers to cover a number of recommended preventive services like cancer screenings, cholesterol tests and annual check-ups at no cost.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) safeguards consumers against abusive insurance company practices, such as denying coverage for pre-existing conditions or charging more premiums due to such conditions. Furthermore, it requires insurers to spend at least 80 percent of your premium dollars on medical care and quality improvements rather than advertising, overhead or bonuses for executives.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has provided millions of people with affordable and comprehensive health coverage, especially those living in Medicaid expansion states. But if the ACA is repealed, millions more Americans could lose coverage – impacting women, children, families and low-income communities alike. Furthermore, hundreds of at-risk rural hospitals could be forced to close down.
