Washington, DC — President Trump’s rally in Wildwood, New Jersey tonight comes after years of his relentless war on health care and his own polling that shows his health care record is deeply unpopular. Ahead of Trump’s rally, Protect Our Care Executive Director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“New Jerseyans won’t hear about President Trump’s disastrous and unpopular health care record at his rally tonight. President Trump is lying when he claims that he has ‘saved’ protections for people with pre-existing conditions and would never take away Medicaid benefits. The fact of the matter is that the president’s disastrous Texas lawsuit would strip protections from nearly 4 million New Jerseyans with pre-existing conditions and less than a week ago he indicated that he is open to cutting benefits for Medicare and Medicaid if he wins re-election. Voters in New Jersey know the truth and are sick and tired of President Trump and Republicans playing politics with their health care.”
BACKGROUND:
Trump-Backed Texas Lawsuit Would Devastate New Jerseyans
If Trump Gets His Way, New Jerseyans Would Lose Their Coverage
- 595,000 New Jerseyans could lose coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 595,000 New Jerseyans would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 81 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 59,000 New Jersey young adults with their parents’ coverage could lose care. Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults are able to stay on their parents’ care until age 26.
- 53,000 New Jersey children could lose their coverage. Almost three million children nationwide gained coverage thanks to the ACA. If the law is overturned, many of these children will lose their insurance.
- 176,900 New Jersey Latinos could lose coverage. The percentage of people gaining health insurance under the ACA was higher for Latinos than for any other racial or ethnic group in the country. According to a study from Families USA, 5.4 million Latinos nationwide would lose coverage if the lawsuit succeeds in overturning the ACA.
- New Jerseyans would lose important federal health care funding — an estimated reduction of $2.7 billion in the first year. The Urban Institute estimates that a full repeal of the ACA would reduce federal spending on New Jerseyans’ Medicaid/CHIP care and Marketplace subsidies by $2.7 billion.
If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Be Put Back In Charge, Ending Protections For The 135 Million People Nationwide With A Pre-Existing Condition
- According to a recent analysis by the Center for American Progress, roughly half of nonelderly Americans, or as many as 135 million people, have a pre-existing condition. This includes:
- 44 million people who have high blood pressure
- 45 million people who have behavioral health disorders
- 44 million people who have high cholesterol
- 34 million people who have asthma and chronic lung disease
- 34 million people who have osteoarthritis and other joint disorders
- 3,834,400 New Jerseyans have a pre-existing condition, including 472,400 New Jersey children, 1,890,000 New Jersey women, and 944,100 New Jerseyans between ages 55 and 64.
If Trump Gets His Way, Insurance Companies Would Have The Power To Charge You More, While Their Profits Soar
- 4,210,183 New Jerseyans Could Once Again Have To Pay For Preventive Care. Because of the ACA, health plans must cover preventive services — like flu shots, cancer screenings, contraception, and mammograms – at no cost to consumers. This includes nearly 4,210,183 New Jerseyans, most of whom have employer coverage.
- 186,898 New Jerseyans in the Marketplaces Would Pay More for Coverage. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, consumers would no longer have access to tax credits that help them pay their marketplace premiums, meaning roughly nine million people who receive these tax credits to pay for coverage will have to pay more, including 186,898 in New Jersey.
- 202,098 New Jersey Seniors Could Have to Pay More for Prescription Drugs. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole would be reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 CMS report. In New Jersey, 202,098 seniors each saved an average of $1,344.
- Reinstate Lifetime and Annual Limits On 3,274,000 Privately Insured New Jerseyans. Repealing the Affordable Care Act means insurance companies would be able to impose annual and lifetime limits on coverage for those insured through their employer or on the individual market.
If Trump Gets His Way, Medicaid Expansion Would Be Repealed
- 580,200 New Jerseyans Enrolled Through Medicaid Expansion Could Lose Coverage. Seventeen million people have coverage through the expanded Medicaid program, including 580,200 in New Jersey.
- Access To Treatment Would Be In Jeopardy For 800,000 People With Opioid Use Disorder. Roughly four in ten, or 800,000 people with an opioid use disorder are enrolled in Medicaid. Many became eligible through Medicaid expansion.
- Key Support For Rural Hospitals Would Disappear, leaving New Jersey hospitals with $1.4 billion more in uncompensated care.