An analysis
by CT’s Office of Policy and Management estimates that the House
Republicans’ American Health Care Act (AHCA) would severely stress the state’s
budget far into the future. Extra costs would start at $6.8 million next fiscal
year and rise to $1 billion after 2020
when fully implemented. Policymakers are now trying to fill a projected deficit
of $1.4 billion in year’s state’s budget even without passage of the AHCA.
The largest AHCA contributor to the state’s deficit is the proposed per capita
Medicaid cap, estimated to cost between $50 and $450 million in 2020.
Individuals buying coverage with subsidies through AccessHealthCT would face
increases averaging between $938/year for people under age 30 to $4,799 for
people over age 60. In addition, under the AHCA, members would lose
cost-sharing assistance, raising their costs even more. Preliminary estimates
find that the law would increase premiums for all consumers by 40% or more next
year. Yesterday the Congressional
Budget Office released their report on the impact of the AHCA nationally finding
that 14 million more Americans would lose coverage next year, growing to 23
million more uninsured in four years. Fourteen million Americans would lose
Medicaid by 2024.
