WASHINGTON, D.C. — On the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, the White House has released fact sheets that demonstrate how the proposals reportedly put forth by extreme members of the House Republicans seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and gut Medicaid would negatively impact working families.
The ACA, which was enacted in 2010, has helped 40.2 million Americans gain quality, affordable healthcare, lowered healthcare costs for families and provided critical coverage of services like cancer detection and mental health treatment. The fact sheets released by the White House show that Republican proposals would result in increased premiums and healthcare costs, endanger healthcare for Americans with pre-existing conditions, reduce protection against catastrophic medical bills, and lead to ballooning waitlists for quality care for seniors and people with disabilities.
President Joe Biden has taken measures to build on the progress made under the ACA by reducing healthcare prices, increasing the number of Americans with insurance, and capping out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors on Medicare. However, reports of Congressional Republicans planning to repeal the ACA and slash Medicaid would be catastrophic for American families, particularly regarding their healthcare costs.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed their concerns regarding the Republicans’ plans, stating that “Republicans’ plans would make healthcare more expensive for families, while advocating for more tax breaks for billionaires.” While Congressional Republicans have yet to release a budget, the proposals that have been offered and reported so far are alarming for American families.
Experts say that if the ACA is repealed and Medicaid is gutted, 1.1 million Ohioans would be at risk of losing their health insurance coverage. Additionally, up to 913,000 Ohio residents could lose protection against catastrophic medical bills, and at least 2 million people in Ohio with pre-existing health conditions could lose critical protections. Ohio residents who utilize preventive care would also lose free preventive care, as private health insurers would not be required to cover preventive services like cancer screenings, cholesterol tests, annual check-ups, and contraceptive services at no cost.
Prior to the ACA requirements, millions of Americans with health insurance faced cost sharing for preventive services, sometimes with high costs, which is why the ACA resulted in increased use of critical preventive care. As the battle over healthcare continues, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the millions of Americans who rely on the ACA for their healthcare coverage.
