Consumers Union, the public policy arm of nonprofit Consumer Reports, writes to express our strong opposition to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and to urge you to make preserving consumers’ health and financial security your top priority.
The AHCA is fundamentally flawed and would have dire consequences for many consumers. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) determined that the bill passed by the House of Representatives would lead to 23 million consumers losing their insurance coverage by 2026. Plans would raise deductibles — shifting even more out-of-pocket costs onto consumers and, at the same time, consumers would face higher premiums due to reduced premium subsidies. The new CBO analysis also warns that the individual markets in states that seek full waivers from Essential Health Benefits and community rating would become unstable by 2020, as predominantly older and sicker consumers will buy comprehensive coverage, thus continually driving up premiums until they are out of reach for many. Consumers with pre-existing conditions in these states will no longer have the guarantee that the insurance offered to them will be affordable or cover the care they need, and many will likely see annual and lifetime caps on necessary services reinstated.