The GOP’s plan could throw millions off Medicaid — and that’s just the start

A 2017 study by Harvard health economist Benjamin D. Sommers that dug into the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion found that “one life [was] saved annually for every 239 to 316 adults gaining insurance.” Extrapolating from the Urban Institute’s coverage loss estimates, work requirements would lead to more than 15,400 avoidable deaths per year. One especially cruel change buried in this new bill would make people who fail to satisfy Medicaid work requirements ineligible for any financial assistance to buy private coverage on their own through the ACA’s marketplaces. To add to that suffering, for those fortunate enough to successfully navigate the new paperwork reporting requirements and keep their Medicaid, the House Republican plan would, for the first time, require states to impose out-of-pocket costs for accessing many health care services.

Author: Andrea Ducas

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