Commentary: WASHINGTON D.C.—Today, Congressional House Republicans voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The controversial bill was revived by House leaders after failing to capture enough votes in March and becoming extremely unpopular with the public.
Congress’ repeal bill makes deep cuts to Medicaid, threatening healthcare coverage for more than 900,000 New Mexicans that are enrolled in the program. The bill dramatically reduces federal funding for Medicaid, forcing the state to either pay $430 million more per year or cut healthcare coverage for 250,000 New Mexicans, according to a study released last week.
“Healthcare is a right we all deserve,” said Abuko D. Estrada, staff attorney for the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. “This bill is a reckless attack on the 900,000 New Mexicans covered by Medicaid and our entire healthcare system. If the bill moves through the Senate and to the president’s desk, New Mexico will be forced to make an unacceptable choice: come up with an extraordinary amount of Medicaid funds every year, in an already dire budget situation, or ration healthcare to our most vulnerable – our children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and low-income adults.”
The study also found that New Mexico will lose out on over $11 billion in federal revenue, putting 30,000 healthcare jobs in jeopardy. New Mexico already faces the highest unemployment rate in the country, and healthcare has been one of the only growing job sectors in the State.
Congressman Steve Pearce was the only congressional delegate from New Mexico to vote in favor of the bill. The bill passed on a vote of 217-213.
Analysis on the impact of the repeal legislation for Medicaid and New Mexico’s economy can be found here.