Republicans Target The ACA In Their Relentless Quest To Decimate Health Care To Hand Out Tax Breaks To Billionaires
Republicans are taking yet another swing at gutting the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in Trump’s big, ugly bill despite failing to repeal the ACA before. The GOP bill cuts almost $300 billion from the ACA and eliminates tax credits that make health care affordable for middle-class families to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. It will hike premiums, raise out-of-pocket costs for millions of middle-class families, and add miles of red tape. As a result, over 8 million Americans will lose their health care, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. In total, 16 million Americans are expected to lose health care because of the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and the ACA, and as the GOP finalizes this bill, this number will likely grow. These health care cuts will be life-and-death for millions, ripping health care away from seniors, children, veterans, people with disabilities, workers who don’t get insurance through their jobs, and people who take care of their children or elderly parents. No community will be left untouched by Donald Trump and Republicans’ big, ugly bill.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Republican reconciliation package sabotages the Affordable Care Act by:
- Ripping health care away from over 8 million Americans, including small business owners, middle-class families, and rural Americans.
- Eliminating premium tax credits and hiking premiums for 24 million Americans who buy insurance on their own, nearly doubling premiums on average for 22 million Americans.
- Cutting nearly $300 billion from the ACA to pay for handouts to the wealthiest Americans.
- Adding miles of red tape for working families struggling to afford health care to kick them off the rolls in order to pay for tax breaks for the ultrawealthy.
How Republicans Plan To Decimate The Affordable Care Act
Republicans’ tax scam will cut taxes for the wealthy by kicking millions off their coverage, driving premiums through the roof, and making it harder for families to get covered and stay covered. The big, ugly bill:
- Eliminates Enhanced Premium Tax Credits and Hikes Premiums For Over 24 Million Americans. Republicans are raising health care costs for millions of Americans by taking away critical tax credits from working families. Countless families are one health care bill away from bankruptcy, but Republicans are planning to increase their health care costs even more by eliminating the tax credits from their reconciliation package. In doing so, Republicans are doubling health care premiums for millions of families, which will result in an estimated 5 million Americans losing their coverage altogether. Under the Republicans’ plan, families will pay up to 90 percent more for their health care, while billionaires and CEOs will get another huge tax break. 82 percent of Americans support the premium tax credits and the vast majority prefer Congress extend them over extending Trump’s 2017 tax law.
- Penalizes Families Who Are Struggling To Get By For Unexpected Changes In Income. The GOP is opening the door for huge new tax burdens on low-income families buying insurance on their own, while handing out billions in tax breaks to the ultrawealthy. Families gaining coverage through the ACA are required to pay back tax credits if it turns out their income was higher than they had projected, but federal rules cap that amount for low-income families to help insulate them from unexpected financial hardship. Under the GOP proposal, if these families experience a change in their circumstances, such as a promotion or a new job, they could be penalized with thousands of dollars in additional payments around tax time. Eliminating the penalty limit would be particularly harmful for people who are older because they are eligible for larger tax credits. They would also harm people with fluctuating income, like freelancers, gig workers, and small business owners, who make up a large share of marketplace enrollees.
- Raises Health Care Costs And Worsens The Quality Of Coverage. Republicans’ big, ugly bill would end a practice called ‘silver-loading’ and raise out-of-pocket premiums for 10 million Americans who purchase insurance on their own. Republicans are also demanding over $8 billion in new copayments from millions of hardworking families who rely on ACA Medicaid expansion, families who likely already struggle to make ends meet. These families will now face increased costs at the doctor’s office when they face conditions such as cancer or diabetes.