Urban Institute Finds 30 Million Could Lose Health Insurance under ACA Repeal

New data from the Urban Institute today show that as many as 30 million people across America will lose their health insurance if Republicans in Congress repeal the Affordable Care Act without simultaneously replacing it. The report explains that most would become uninsured “as a result of eliminating the premium tax credits, the Medicaid expansion, and the individual mandate.” Some highlights:

• The number of people in the country without health insurance would rise from 28.9 million to 58.7 million in 2019, an increase of 29.8 million people (103 percent).
• The share of nonelderly people without insurance would increase from 11 percent to 21 percent, a higher rate of uninsurance than before the ACA because of the disruption to the nongroup insurance market.
• An additional 7.3 million people who have health insurance through the “nongroup” market (refers to private insurance that individuals buy for themselves or their families, as opposed to getting coverage through a job or public health insurance program) will lose coverage because of the near collapse of the nongroup insurance market.

Read the full report.

This report only underscores how critical it is for lawmakers to have a replacement plan ready to go on day one should they choose to follow through with ACA repeal. To repeal without a replacement plan would be dangerously irresponsible, putting the lives and health of millions at risk. More about what a vote to repeal the ACA will mean for our nation.