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Health Action New Mexico Denounces First Steps in Congress’ Rush to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

Commentary:  “A vote for the bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act is a vote to take insurance away from 30 million Americans and 266,000 New Mexicans.”

Health Action New Mexico denounced Congress’s first step in their plan to rush through a health care repeal bill that will take away health insurance from tens of millions of Americans and increase health care premiums for millions more. With the introduction of the budget resolution today repealing the Affordable Care Act, Republicans set in motion a process that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, all without so much as a suggestion of a real plan to replace it. In New Mexico alone, this would cause 266,000 to lose health insurance, which would mean a 136% increase in the number of New Mexicans. Nationwide, repealing the Affordable Care Act without an immediate replacement plan will cause 30 million people to lose their health coverage.

Barbara Webber, Executive Director of Health Action New Mexico, said, “We are deeply dismayed that Congressional Republicans are rushing ahead to tear apart our health care with no replacement plan of any kind. By lighting the fuse on this repeal and “replace” plan, they are starting the timer on a dangerous process that will bring substantial harm to millions of American families.

“Congress’ repeal now, replace later approach requires blind trust. But based on their track record so far, we simply don’t believe that promise.

“Without a clear replacement plan, a vote for the bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act is a vote to take insurance away from 30 million Americans and 266,000, and we urge our representatives and Senators to stand with the New Mexicans worried about losing their health care and vote against this dangerous plan.”

WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES?

·         30 million Americans would lose health coverage, more than doubling the number of uninsured Americans. [Urban Institute]. 82 percent of those who would lose coverage are in working families. [Urban Institute]

·         Healthcare premiums would increase by more than 50% for millions of Americans.

·         The number of uninsured children in America would more than double, leaving an additional 4 million children uninsured. [Urban Institute]

·         Take health coverage away from millions of low and moderate income Americans by cutting funding for Medicaid expansion. Nearly 13 million Americans would lose Medicaid or CHIP coverage alone. [Urban Institute]

·         Because of the chaotic ripple effect of repealing the Affordable Care Act, an “additional 7.3 million people become uninsured because of the near collapse” of the individual insurance market. [Urban Institute]

·         The near “death spiral” in the individual market “is likely to occur immediately after the reconciliation bill’s provisions take effect.” [Urban Institute]

·         Repeal would increase taxes on millions of people who purchase their own insurance by more than $3,000 by abolishing healthcare tax credits.

·         Repeal would cut off federal funds for Planned Parenthood health centers to provide birth control and other preventive care to millions of women.

WHAT’S AT STAKE FOR NEW MEXICO?

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the uninsured rate in New Mexico has dropped from nearly 20% in 2010 to about 10% in 2015. If repealed, the number of uninsured New Mexicans would rise from 196,000 to 462,000. That means health coverage for 266,000 New Mexicans is at stake. It would also cause New Mexico to lose $27.9 billion in federal funding and uncompensated care costs would skyrocket. Low-and-moderate income families would be hit the hardest.