Republicans Reeling As Report Finds Nearly 30 Million Will Lose Insurance After ACA Repeal

Republicans were already walking on egg shells over repealing Obamacare before a new report from the Urban Institute found that even a partial repeal of the ACA will cause 29.8 million people to lose their health insurance.

According to an analysis of what is expected to be included in the partial ACA repeal bill by the Urban Institute:

Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) claim that no one will be worse off after the ACA is repealed is a flat out fantasy.

The uninsured rate will actually be higher than when George W. Bush left office. When Bush departed the White House, 46.3 million Americans lacked health insurance. After the Republican repeal of the ACA takes effect 58.7 million Americans won’t have health insurance.

The Urban Institute also projects that even if Republicans limit themselves to repealing the individual mandate, they will cause significant disruption in the insurance market. These numbers are why Republicans backed away from their original plan to repeal and replace the ACA right after Trump takes office.

Republicans are going to make the health care access issue worse than it was under George W. Bush.

Regarding political strategy, one wonders why Republicans are so insistent on giving Democrats back the issue that helped to power them to victory in 2006 and 2008. The smart course for the GOP would be to keep most of the ACA in place, tinker with the edges, and declare victory.

The party of Trump will pay a heavy price with voters if they choose to take health insurance away from 30 million Americans right before a presidential election.

Republicans have painted themselves into a corner, and their only way out is fraught with future election peril.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association