(Springfield, IL) – Pledges by President Donald Trump and U.S. congressional leaders to repeal the Affordable Care Act would deal an economic blow to Illinois, costing the state 114,000 jobs, says a new report.
A new report by Health Care for America Now shows the impact that repealing the Affordable Care Act would have on Illinois. It says more than a million people in the state would lose health coverage.
The fallout also includes $1.2 billion in new uncompensated care, 114,000 lost jobs, and $2.7 billion in lost income for hospitals and physicians. In Illinois, 260,000 people receive subsidies to help pay for their coverage, and the report says repeal would cost each of them over $4,300 in 2019.
Lynda DeLaforgue, the co-director of Citizen Action Illinois thinks without a good replacement plan, a repeal is irresponsible and dangerous.
“When people can get medical care at the front end, then we prevent a lot of catastrophic illness at the back end,” she said. “And so, the whole system is benefited through this, not to mention all of the lives that are saved when people have access to health care at the front end.”
sara@ilabh.org
Illinois Association for Behavioral Health News Blog 