Washington, DC — As President Trump heads to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a rally today, his visit is overshadowed by reports detailing the Republicans’ plan to run on repealing health care in 2020 and a looming decision by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Texas v. United States, the lawsuit that would wipe away the Affordable Care Act. Ahead of Trump’s rally, Protect Our Care executive director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“President Trump’s nonstop lies won’t change the fact that he went to court to strip away health care from more than 200,000 New Mexicans and that his party plans to run on repealing health care for the fifth straight election. The Trump-Texas lawsuit would raise prescription drug costs, terminate protections for millions with pre-existing conditions, and end Medicaid expansion in New Mexico. After ten years of sabotage, voters in New Mexico are sick and tired of the GOP playing politics with their health care and know better than to trust the hollow words of Donald Trump and the Republican Party.”
BACKGROUND:
If Trump Gets His Way, 226,000 New Mexicans Would Lose Their Coverage
- 226,000 New Mexicans could lose coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 226,000 New Mexicans would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 109 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 15,000 New Mexico 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.
- New Mexicans would lose important federal health care funding — an estimated reduction of $2.2 billion in the first year. The Urban Institute estimates that a full repeal of the ACA would reduce federal spending on New Mexicans’ Medicaid/CHIP care and Marketplace subsidies by $2.2 billion, or 41.2 percent in the first year.
- 843,500 New Mexicans have a pre-existing condition, including 118,900 New Mexico children, 425,000 New Mexico women, and 203,000 New Mexicans between ages 55 and 64.
If the Affordable Care Act is struck down:
- GONE: Protections for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. The uninsured rate will increase by 65 percent.
- GONE: Medicaid expansion, which covers 17 million people.
- GONE: Nearly 12 million seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare ‘donut hole’ will be reopened.
- GONE: 2.3 million adult children will no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
- GONE: Insurance companies will be able to charge women 50 percent more than men.
- GONE: Financial assistance that helps 9 million people purchase health care in the marketplace.
- GONE: Key support for rural hospitals. As Americans lose coverage, already struggling hospitals will be hit even harder as their costs increase.
- GONE: Ban on insurance companies having lifetime caps on coverage.
- GONE: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.