Washington, D.C. — Protect Our Care is releasing a new report detailing the devastation and harm that will be caused by the Republican tax bill. Last night, Republicans in the House passed their plan to dismantle American health care in order to hand out tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations.
In addition to draconian Medicaid cuts, Republicans are raising premiums and out-of-pocket costs for tens of millions of people who buy coverage on their own. They are fundamentally dismantling the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by raising costs for millions, making it harder to enroll, and chipping away at its core provisions. This is just yet another desperate attempt to repeal the ACA. Despite trying again and again to destroy the ACA and failing, Republicans are still relentless in their war on American health care. After 15 years, the ACA is woven into the fabric of our health system and popular across the country and political spectrum. So Republicans, by the cover of night when everyone is sleeping, are jamming these policies into their budget to achieve their decades-long goal of dismantling the ACA for good.
“Republicans are taking a wrecking ball to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “As a result, premiums will skyrocket and millions will lose their health care to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy who don’t need more money in their pockets. Unfortunately, the ones to pay the price are everyday Americans who will no longer be able to afford life-saving care and coverage. The American people deserve better and Republicans will pay the political price after voting to advance this tax scam.”
Here’s exactly how Republicans are sabotaging the ACA:
- Eliminate Tax Credits, Hiking Premiums For Over 24 Million Americans. Without these tax credits, families will pay up to 90 percent more for their health care and an estimated 5 million Americans will lose their coverage altogether, including middle-class families, small business owners, and rural residents.
- Raise Costs and Lower the Quality of Coverage. The GOP budget requires states to add new copayments on Americans who rely on the ACA Medicaid expansion as well as raises premiums by changing the formula used for determining an individual or family’s premiums and cost-sharing. The proposal also removes regulations requiring insurers to offer high-quality coverage so that they can cover as little as 66% of costs but still be called a “Silver” plan.
- Restrict Enrollment and Eligibility And Add Wasteful Paperwork Requirements. Republicans are not only making it harder for families to enroll in coverage by shortening the enrollment period and taking away low-income families’ ability to sign up for coverage outside of the six-week enrollment period but to also stay enrolled by establishing more paperwork burdens for enrolling and proving eligibility for tax credits. These policies will only end in millions of Americans being unable to access the coverage they need to stay healthy.
- Penalize Families For Unexpected Changes In Income. Under the GOP proposal, if low-income families experience a change in their circumstances, such as marriage, a promotion, or a new job, they could be penalized with thousands of dollars in additional payments around tax time. These repayments could be devastating for freelancers, gig workers, and small business owners, who make up a large share of marketplace enrollees.
- Decimate ACA Medicaid Expansion. Republicans are cutting billions in Medicaid expansion dollars. This could impact 12 million Americans and force program repeals in several states. The reduction in Medicaid expansion funding may also force over 60 rural hospitals across the states affected to close.