The American Health Care Act (AHCA) is still sitting in the Senate, awaiting a verdict on being modified or dismantled to something unrecognizable. While in limbo, analyses continue to surface, showing just how detrimental the proposed bill could be to the American people, if passed. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a report showing how the elderly in low-income homes are among the greatest affected by premium spikes and losses of funding should the AHCA be passed.
The study shows that an average 60-year-old senior living at or below the FPL in most states would be forced to pay almost half of his/her annual income on premiums should the AHCA be passed. The estimated figure is 45%, which can escalate higher in states with higher cost premiums and with lower income seniors. In fact, in ten states the cost of premiums would exceed or nearly exceed their entire income.
With the end of Medicaid expansion looming overhead if the AHCA prevails, figures like these are seriously troubling. Add to that the end of most ACA subsidies, it seems even those inching toward the FPL will lose under the AHCA. Block grants for Medicare would be another potential threat to seniors living in certain states, considering what little federal funding received by those states may never reach these seniors. The report also presented data, where the unaffordability of healthcare would grow with age. By 2020, the estimated costs for healthcare would grow to staggering numbers in certain states for 60-year-olds. In Alaska, it would skyrocket to over 350% of their annual income. In Arizona, North Carolina, Oklahoma and other states, it would reach 250% of their annual income.
While the report presented other figures for lower income Americans who are not of senior age, it’s clear that those low income seniors would be among the most greatly affected. It’s certainly a cause for concern for those who hope that the AHCA will return back to the drawing board.
To view the CBPP study, click here.
