Washington, DC — As President Trump heads to Panama City, Florida for a rally today his war on health care wages on, jeopardizing the care and well-being of millions of Floridians. Trump’s Texas lawsuit puts 1.6 million Floridians at risk of losing coverage and if successful would strip protections for more than 7.8 million Floridians with a pre-existing condition. Ahead of the president’s rally today, Protect Our Care executive director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“President Trump’s relentless war on health care is putting millions of Floridians at risk of losing coverage. If Trump’s Texas lawsuit to terminate our health care laws is successful, it will strip coverage from over one million Floridians, raise premiums, end protections for millions more with pre-existing conditions, put insurance companies back in charge, and force seniors to pay more for prescription drugs. Maybe instead of coming to Florida to play politics and vent his frustrations at a political rally, the president should explain to Floridians why he’s so hellbent on taking away their health care.”
BACKGROUND:
How Trump’s Texas Lawsuit Would Devastate Floridians
- 1.6 Million Floridians Could Lose Coverage. According to the Urban Institute, 1.6 million Floridians would lose coverage by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 67 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
- 132,000 Florida Young Adults With Their Parents’ Coverage Could Lose Care. Because of the Affordable Care Act, millions of young adults are able to stay on their parents’ care until age 26.
- Protections For The 130 Million People Nationwide With A Pre-Existing Condition Will End. 7,810,300 Floridians have a pre-existing condition, including 973,800 Florida children, 4,086,000 Florida women, and 1,760,800 Floridians between ages 55 and 64.
- Insurance Companies Could Charge Premium Surcharges In the Six Figures. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, insurance companies would be able to charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The health repeal bill the House passed in 2017 had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
- Women Could Be Charged More Than Men For The Same Coverage. Prior to the ACA, women were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage.
- 344,343 Florida Seniors Could Have to Pay More for Prescription Drugs. If the Trump-GOP lawsuit is successful, seniors could have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole would be reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 CMS report. In Florida, 344,343 seniors each saved an average of $1,068.
How the GOP War on Medicaid Would Devastate Floridians
- By Refusing To Expand Medicaid, Florida Is Preventing 1,596,000 Floridians From Gaining Coverage. By not fully expanding Medicaid, Florida has restricted its Medicaid program such that only parents earning up to 32 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible to enroll in Medicaid. If Florida expanded its program, 1,596,000 more adults could gain coverage through Medicaid.
- 4,207,568 Floridians With Traditional Medicaid Coverage, Including Seniors, People With Disabilities, And Children, Are At Risk. The Graham-Cassidy bill that President Trump revived in his FY20 budget proposal would turn traditional Medicaid into a per capita cap, meaning the 4,207,568 Floridians who are enrolled on Medicaid would have their care jeopardized. Medicaid disproportionately helps children, seniors in nursing home care and people with disabilities. A study by Avalere found that Graham-Cassidy would cut funding for people with disabilities by 15-percent and 31-percent for children by 2036.
- 2,487,155 Florida Children’s Care Is At Risk. 2,487,155 Florida kids are currently enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, and their care could be at risk because of funding cuts in the Trump budget.