Trump Policies Could Take Away Health Care Protections for 15 Million Americans...

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/10/trump-policies-could-take-away-health-care-protections-for-15-million-americans-democrats-report-finds/

Trump Policies Could Take Away Health Care Protections for 15 Million Americans, Democrats’ Report Finds
The report highlights the effects of the administration’s decision not to defend the Affordable Care Act.
Tonya Riley
October 24, 2018 3:37 PM


House Democrats released a report Wednesday finding that Trump administration policies could cause as many as 15.6 million people in the Affordable Care Act’s individual market to lose protections against discrimination on the basis of gender, age, and pre-existing conditions.

The report, from Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, comes in response to an announcement by Attorney General Jeff Session in June that the Justice Department will no longer defend the Affordable Care Act in court. In February, a coalition of 20 states, led Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, sued the federal government to invalidate the ACA, also known as Obamacare. A decision in the lawsuit could be reached anytime in the coming weeks.

The analysis looks at the effects if the ACA ceases to require insurance providers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. It is based on 2016 American Community Survey data and a 2017 estimate by the Department of Health and Human Services that 55 percent of individuals who receive insurance through marketplace plans have pre-existing health conditions.

With less than two weeks before the midterms, Democrats have homed in on health care as a winning issue for the party, slamming Republicans for attempts to roll back Obama-era protections and cut Medicaid spending. But Republican leaders seem unconcerned with the potential ramifications. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called the deficit, which has ballooned to $779 billion in fiscal year 2018, “disturbing” and said he hoped to continue slashing entitlement programs in response. McConnell has also come out in support of Paxton’s lawsuit.

Wednesday’s report comes on the heels of a report by Democrats on the congressional Joint Economic Committee last week that warned that the Republicans’ proposed cuts in the fiscal year 2019 budget of $1.5 trillion to Medicaid and Obamacare tax credits and $537 billion to Medicare over the next decade could result in additional financial burdens for beneficiaries. While the budget is still awaiting a final vote, Democrats warn that the cuts would cost beneficiaries an extra $3,000 a year per household.

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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/10/trump-policies-could-take-away-health-care-protections-for-15-million-americans-democrats-report-finds/