Below is a statement from Justice in Aging Executive Director, Kevin Prindiville
“This new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report shows that by 2026, 23 million Americans who previously had coverage will be uninsured. A disproportionately large number of the newly uninsured will be people between 50 and 64, whose premiums will skyrocket. For example, a single 64-year old with an income of $26,500 would have to pay a staggering $13,600 a year in premiums, more than half of what he has available to live on. That, compared to $1,700 a year under the Affordable Care Act, is an increase of more than 800%. Additionally, in states that waive consumer protections, older adults and others will see out-of-pockets costs rise sharply as plans provide skimpy coverage and can impose annual and lifetime limits.”
“Most troubling, the CBO report confirms that AHCA will cut funding to Medicaid by $834 billion over the next decade. The AHCA ends the Medicaid program as we know it by imposing per capita caps and block grants. Over six million older adults rely on Medicaid, and two-thirds of all Medicaid spending for older adults goes to essential long-term care services in nursing homes and at home and in the community. With such drastic cuts and caps to the Medicaid program, the AHCA threatens the care of all of these seniors and the peace of mind of their families.”
“In total, the cuts to Medicaid will mean 14 million fewer individuals will be enrolled in Medicaid by 2026. The plunder of Medicaid is used to provide an enormous tax break for corporations and to the most wealthy Americans.”
“Further, AHCA tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will decrease Medicare revenues and shorten the life of the Medicare Trust Fund, putting health care for generations of older adults in jeopardy.”
“This CBO score, like the one before, confirms that the American Health Care Act is a devastating bill for our nation’s older adults.”
Justice in Aging is a national non-profit legal advocacy organization that fights senior poverty through law. Formerly the National Senior Citizens Law Center, since 1972 we’ve worked for access to affordable health care and economic security for older adults with limited resources, focusing especially on populations that have traditionally lacked legal protection such as women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and people with limited English proficiency. Through targeted advocacy, litigation, and the trainings and resources we provide to local advocates, we ensure access to the social safety net programs that poor seniors depend on, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
Contact: Vanessa Barrington
510-256-1200 direct
vbarrington@justiceinaging.org
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