NCL urges Congress to reject GOP health plan – National Consumers League

March 14, 2017

Media Contact: NCL Communications, Cindy Hoang, cindyh@nclnet.org, (202) 207-2832

Washington, DC—The National Consumers League (NCL) urges Congress to reject the House GOP’s health insurance plan, which would result in millions of Americans losing coverage and paying more for less. In a report released yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 24 million Americans would lose health coverage by 2026 under the House Republicans’ plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

NCL’s Executive Director Sally Greenberg said, “It’s indefensible to deny health insurance to sick people, but that is exactly what the Republican plan would do. How can we as a nation tell 24 million Americans–many of whom have health insurance today because of the ACA–that they will no longer have coverage?”    

In addition to this loss in coverage, the CBO report found that consumers would pay more out-of-pocket for skimpier coverage. Under the Republican plan, tax credits for eligible individuals purchasing non-group coverage will be 60 percent lower in 2020, meaning that consumers will have to pay more out-of-pocket towards their premium costs. Furthermore, due to plans’ lower average actuarial values (the share of a person’s health costs that a plan covers), CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) expect that “individuals’ cost-sharing payments, including deductibles, in the non-group market would tend to be higher than those anticipated under current law.” This finding directly contradicts President Trump’s promise that his repeal plan would lead to much lower deductibles.

The CBO report also found that the Republican proposal would result in an $880 billion cut in federal support for state Medicaid programs over the next decade–effectively shifting these costs onto the backs of the states and beneficiaries. With such a sharp decrease in federal support for Medicaid, states will have no choice but to cut eligibility, benefits, and/or provider payment rates. 

“The CBO report confirms the harms that would result from implementation of the utterly immoral Republican health plan. It is a step in the wrong direction for our nation’s consumers and must be rejected,” said Greenberg.      

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About the National Consumers League

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America’s pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.