The Center for American Progress has taken the CBO score and report on the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (better known as BCRAP) and used Kaiser Family Foundation, Census and CMS data to break the 22 million coverage loss number down for states and districts.
As you can see, 59,500 Delawareans would lose insurance coverage. 37,500 would lose it because their Medicaid coverage would be cut. Yes, Kellyanne and all Republican liars who appeared on TV this weekend, their Medicaid would be cut. Another 22,000 Delawareans would lose their private coverage due to either preexisting conditions, lifetime or yearly caps or because they no longer receive Obamacare subsidies to afford it.
The really devastating part is the old people in retirement homes, their money gone they now rely on Medicaid. Have no doubt that said homes will turn them out with little or no mercy as the industry is ran on a profit at all costs basis like everything else in America. Virtually all states face a budget crises on a yearly basis, not taxing the rich will do that for you. Delaware comes to mind. But few if any states can make up the difference without the federal government. It will be ugly beyond belief, but a giant step towards Single Payer no matter how the Republicans spin it.
The nursing homes are a big issue. What happens to the people in nursing homes who have no where to go? Is the plan to simply toss them on the street? Sounds about right, and I bet we’re heading there with hospitals, too.
Before the ACA, hospitals (most of whom have to take emergencies, and are mostly, but not all by far, rural) were struggling to survive. Why did an aspirin cost so much? To make up for the cost of covering the uninsured. Same reason those with insurance before the ACA saw their premiums skyrocketing. We were always paying for the uninsured. Expect a lot of hospitals to close if the GOP plan goes through.
I’m waiting for Republicans to add “hospitals do not have to treat people without insurance” amendment, because that is the only way to make their plan work. Think about it. If you can or can’t afford to buy insurance what are the consequences? Denial of care? Isn’t that really the end game? Remember that GOP town hall where everyone cheered for letting the hypothetical uninsured guy die on the street? I do.
From great pain may come great good, but it will not be tomorrow. The more the Republicans struggle and fight the harder it will be to pass the bill and the more Americans will wake up to what’s going on and that it’s going to impact them.
The Rs are already telling people that Medicaid is not cut under this bill and they are telling people that the reason why so many people will not be covered is that folks will choose to not have this insurance product that they do not want. 22M people are not going to bail on insurance because they don’t want it.