Congressional Budget Office score shows latest version of American Health Care Act passed by the U.S. House would result in massive loss of vital health care coverage for 23 million people, including families, adults with disabilities, children, seniors and people with pre-existing conditions
LAKE MARY, FL – The Florida Policy Institute (FPI) today highlighted the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) newly released score on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), pointing to its finding that 23 million Americans would lose coverage by 2026. The U.S. House leadership made last-minute amendments to the bill in early May and, in an unusual step, passed the AHCA before the CBO was able to complete its analysis. This analysis or “score” shows the legislation’s devastating impact on children, families, seniors, people with disabilities and people with pre-existing conditions.
“Constituents, advocacy groups, medical professionals and health care experts alike skewered this mess of a bill, but the House didn’t listen. Instead, they passed health care legislation that would endanger the health and lives of millions of Floridians,” said Joseph F. Pennisi, executive director of FPI. “The CBO score confirmed what we already knew — that a terrible bill is still terrible.”
Notably, under the AHCA:
Floridians stand to lose a lot. There are 1.4 million residents who currently receive financial help to purchase individual coverage through the insurance marketplace created under the ACA– more than any other state. The AHCA’s elimination of tax credits tied to income and cost-sharing subsidies would put coverage out of reach for most low- and moderate-income Floridians.
The 4.3 million Floridians receiving Medicaid benefits — a lifeline for children (who constitute more than half of the program’s beneficiaries), seniors and persons with disabilities — would be particularly hurt by the AHCA’s capped federal Medicaid funding. The exploding population of elderly residents and people with disabilities in Florida would inevitably lead to enormous cost-shifts to the state and deep Medicaid cuts.
Further, critical life-sustaining services for Florida’s most vulnerable residents would be at risk. This includes:
“The U.S. Senate must oppose any bill that causes millions to lose coverage, effectively ends Medicaid expansion by phasing out federal match funding, shifts billions in Medicaid costs to the state through capped federal funding or makes coverage less affordable for low- and moderate-income families. I urge Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson to listen to their constituents in Florida and reject any bill that includes any of these damaging provisions,” added Pennisi.
The Florida Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan and nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting widespread prosperity through timely, thoughtful and objective analysis of state policy issues affecting economic opportunity.