Publication
New Jersey’s economy has not recovered from the recession like it could – and should – have. Economic difficulties that began with losses in manufacturing jobs throughout the 1980s have persisted. Despite a diverse population and a shift in land use from sprawling suburban growth to more infill development, job numbers and GDP are growing too slowly. And what growth there is, isn’t distributed equally. New Jersey struggles with extreme racial and economic disparities that distribute the benefits of the economy not as shared prosperity, but to the wealthy.
The American Health Care Act — which passed the U.S. House of Representatives and is the basis for a bill being negotiated in the U.S. Senate — would be devastating for the state budget, health care providers and residents of all parts of the state. The AHCA would reverse the historic gains under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), which has greatly reduced the number of Louisianans without health insurance, created thousands of jobs in the healthcare sector, protected consumers and increased the amount of federal healthcare dollars flowing to every city and parish in the state.
Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would put health coverage at risk for tens of thousands of Mainers, increase costs for hundreds of thousands more, and reduce access to services in many communities. The House bill, the “American Health Care Act,” (AHCA) and the Senate bill, the “Better Care Reconciliation Act,” ultimately have the same effect―less care for Mainers, in exchange for tax cuts for the wealthiest.
The House narrowly passed its ACA repeal proposal earlier this year. While the Senate said it would reject that plan and start from scratch, the reality is that the Senate plan closely mirrors the House plan. Both would reduce coverage for seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children by cutting and capping Medicaid. Both would sharply increase insurance costs by raising premiums and deductibles and slashing existing tax credits. Both plans give states broad authority to eliminate consumer protections that help people with pre-existing conditions or who are in need of maternity care, mental health, or substance abuse services. Finally, both plans use the reductions in health coverage to pay for deep tax cuts for the wealthy, drug companies, and insurers.