Tonight, President Trump is holding a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, but Granite Staters will likely hear more lies instead of the truth about his health care agenda. Right now, President Trump and his Republican allies are trying to rip away our health care by going to court to eliminate the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. In 2018, a group of Republican attorneys general filed suit seeking to overturn the entire health care law. They were joined in this effort by the Trump administration, which is refusing to defend the law in court. The case is currently before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and the health care of tens of thousands of Granite Staters hangs in the balance.
Next Tuesday, Protect Our Care will host New Hampshire leaders and health care advocates as part of a nationwide bus tour to call for an end to the GOP’s continued war on Granite Staters’ health care and discuss Trump’s true agenda: to strip health care from millions of Americans. Speakers will highlight the dire emergency created by the Trump-Republican lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act, contrasting it to Congresswoman Annie Kuster’s legislation to protect Americans with pre-existing conditions and Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s resolution that directs the Trump administration to reverse course and defend Americans’ access to vital care and comprehensive coverage.
The Republican Health Care Emergency Hurts New Hampshire Families
If the Trump lawsuit is successful, it will strip coverage from millions of Americans, raise premiums, end protections for people with pre-existing conditions, put insurance companies back in charge, and force seniors to pay more for prescription drugs. This Republican health care emergency is threatening to unleash “chaos” in our entire health care system. Here’s what’s at stake in New Hampshire:
If Republicans Get Their Way, 89,000 Granite Staters Would Lose Their Coverage
- 89,000 Granite Staters could lose coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 89,000 Granite Staters would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 136 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 43,000 Granite Staters in the 1st District could lose coverage. The Center for American Progress estimates that 43,000 Granite Staters in the 1st Congressional District would have their coverage ripped away if the Republican lawsuit succeeds at striking down the entire ACA.
- 9,000 New Hampshire 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.
If Republicans Get Their Way, Insurance Companies Would Be Put Back In Charge, Ending Protections For More Than 550,000 Granite Staters With A Pre-Existing Condition
Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies routinely denied people coverage because of a pre-existing condition or canceled coverage when a person got sick. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies will be able to do this again.
- 572,200 Granite Staters have a pre-existing condition, including 62,700 New Hampshire children, 269,000 New Hampshire women, and 155,500 Granite Staters between ages 55 and 64.
If Republicans Get Their Way, Insurance Companies Would Have The Power To Charge You More, While Their Profits Soar
- 690,524 Granite Staters 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 690,524 Granite Staters, most of whom have employer coverage.
- Insurance Companies Could Charge Premium Surcharges in the Six Figures. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would be able to charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The health repeal bill the House passed in 2017 had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
- Women Could Be Charged More Than Men for the Same Coverage. Prior to the ACA, women were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage.
- People Over the Age of 50 Could Face a $4,000 “Age Tax,” Including $2,750 in New Hampshire. Because Judge O’Connor sided with Republican lawmakers, insurance companies would be able to charge people over 50 more than younger people. The Affordable Care Act limited the amount older people could be charged to three times more than younger people. If insurers were to charge five times more, as was proposed in the Republican repeal bills, that would add an average “age tax” of $4,124 for a 60-year-old in the individual market, including $2,750 in New Hampshire, according to the AARP.
- 31,179 Granite Staters 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 31,179 in New Hampshire.
- 21,150 New Hampshire 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 Hampshire, 21,150 seniors each saved an average of $1,139.
If Republicans Get Their Way, Medicaid Expansion Would Be Repealed
- 57,000 Granite Staters Enrolled Through Medicaid Expansion Could Lose Coverage. Seventeen million people have coverage through the expanded Medicaid program, including 57,000 in New Hampshire.
- Access To Treatment Would Be In Jeopardy For 800,000 People With Opioid Use Disorder. Roughly four in ten, or 800,000 people with opioid use disorder are enrolled in Medicaid. Many became eligible through Medicaid expansion.
- Key Support For Rural Hospitals Would Disappear, leaving New Hampshire hospitals with $234 million more in uncompensated care.