Healthcare

 

Americans have gained significantly from the ACA, even if they may not realize it. People with pre-existing conditions can get a health plan in the individual market. Young adults can stay on their parents’ plans. Moderate income families qualify for subsidies so they can afford private coverage and pay their out-of-pocket costs. Poor, working families can depend on Medicaid so they can stay employed. More people are getting care, and, importantly, preventive care.

Across the country, 29.8 million people would lose their health insurance if the Affordable Care Act were repealed—more than doubling the number of people without health insurance. And 1.2 million jobs would be lost—not just in health care but across the board.

Publications

The State of Health Coverage in the Mid South

  • March 23, 2017
  • Staff Report

While the nation continues to grapple with the potential impact of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), little discussion has focused on how repealing the ACA would impact a specific region of the United States. This brief examines the implementation of the ACA in the Mid South and provides a snapshot of health insurance coverage in the region under the ACA.

Arizona Families and Economy Count on Health Coverage in the Affordable Care Act

The push in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would jeopardize the health coverage and economic security of approximately 650,000 Arizonans, including 160,000 children. Most of those who stand to lose coverage work in jobs that are the backbone of our economy – people such as waiters, construction laborers, janitors, school staff, and those providing care to children, the sick, and the elderly. Taking coverage away from Arizonans would also increase the number of uninsured people visiting emergency rooms for regular, non-emergency conditions and for complex and costly health problems that could have been addressed earlier. This could make healthcare more expensive for everyone, including people who are covered through their employers.

Publication

Oregon Care Economy: The Case for Public Care Investment

Oregon’s current care economy is vast and largely invisible. Currently underinvested, it creates and exacerbates poverty and inequality. We are missing the opportunity to invest adequately in the care economy in order to build a stronger, more inclusive economy and better life for us all. This report seeks to bring care work into view.

Vital Signs

Research consistently shows a direct correlation between income, race, where you live and your health. In general, health outcomes for low-income Latinos, Blacks and other people of color are not as favorable as the outcomes for affluent White people. Colorado is no exception to this scientifically validated but preventable trend – despite making significant gains in providing health coverage to its residents and boasting the lowest obesity rate in the country. “Vital Signs,” a new online report by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy, highlights the dramatic influence of income, race and place on health and reveals stark disparities in this state and the effect on those who live here.