Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:43 pm
As Donald Trump prepares to take office next month and quickly work with the Republican-controlled Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act, 6.4 million Americans have signed up for health insurance plans through the law.
The number of sign-ups during this year’s open enrollment is higher than any previous year and is an increase of nearly half a million over last year’s tally.
January 1, 2017 is an important day for 6.4M Americans who signed up @HealthCareGov. There’s no doubt #CoverageMatters. #GetCovered pic.twitter.com/Gq2klzbWHe
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Sylvia Burwell (@SecBurwell) December 21, 2016
Despite the repeal threats and “doomsday predictions” from those who have opposed the law at every turn, Secretary Burwell says the surge in sign-ups proves that these predictions are “not bearing out” and the Affordable Care Act is doing just fine.
For now, at least.
If Trump and Republicans fulfill their campaign promise of repealing the law, millions of people would lose insurance coverage.
According to the Urban Institute, 30 million Americans would lose health coverage if the GOP repeals the law. Among those, 4.4 million are children and 7.6 million are parents.
Trump voters, in particular, would be in a world of trouble if the man they supported follows through. Of those who would lose their coverage, 56 percent would be white and 80 percent lack a college degree – two voting blocs that heavily favored the president-elect.
Wiping out the law would also hurt those who benefit from the Medicaid expansion and children who, under the ACA, are able to get coverage through their parents’ insurance policy until they turn 26.
As Trump prepares to take office and more Americans wake up to the reality that repeal is no longer a Republican fantasy, millions are signing up for coverage while they still can.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
