Since the ACA was implemented in 2012, the uninsured rate in our district has dropped from 27.3% to 20.8%. Nationally, more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans have gained access to affordable and high quality health insurance, and 265,600 people in my district have gained that same coverage. Thanks to this expanded access, the uninsured rate has reached an historic low.
The ACA’s historic gains were achieved by creating online Marketplaces for consumers to purchase insurance with financial assistance, and by expanding Medicaid. The district report finds that 32,700 people in the district selected high-quality coverage through the ACA Marketplaces in 2016, including 27,600 people who received financial assistance to purchase their coverage. This coverage could be lost if Republicans dismantle the Marketplaces.
The report also finds that 301,800 people in our district who have employer sponsored health insurance could lose important consumer protections – like the prohibition on annual and lifetime limits and the prohibition on coverage exclusions for preexisting health conditions – if the ACA is repealed. Republican proposals to tax employer-based health coverage could destabilize employer-based coverage and impose the largest middle class tax increase in history on individuals who have health insurance through their employers.
“This report shows how the Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act would negatively impact hardworking constituents,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “Today, the residents of district 30 have better health coverage and care thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and Republicans should not jeopardize these significant gains by repealing the law.”
The district report was compiled and included in a larger staff report issued today by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
