65 National Advocates Sound Alarm on Affordable Care Act Repeal

Last week, Medicare Rights partnered with Justice in Aging and the Center for Medicare Advocacy to defend access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities. Together, we wrote a letter urging Congress not to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a viable and simultaneous replacement that provides American families with equal or improved access to high-quality, affordable health coverage.

65 national organizations signed the letter which details the risks a repeal and delay strategy poses for millions of Americans. We all agree: No older American or person with a disability should be made worse off by a vote to repeal the ACA.

The letter states, “Repealing the ACA without an immediate replacement could cause 30 million Americans who rely on expanded Medicaid and the individual market to lose health coverage. Over 4.5 million people ages 55 to 64 could lose coverage and the share of uninsured people in this age group could double—from 8% to 19%. People with disabilities also stand to lose, including those with Social Security Disability benefits in the Medicare two-year waiting period. About 1.5 million Americans are in this waiting period at any given time and frequently turn to Marketplace or Medicaid coverage provided through the ACA until their Medicare takes effect.”

In addition to these coverage expansions, the letter spotlights ACA provisions important to older Americans and people with disabilities, including extended solvency of the Medicare Part A Trust Fund; the end of the Part D prescription drug donut hole; reduced or eliminated cost-sharing for cost-effective preventive care; and protected health insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. These are important protections for older adults and people with disabilities that must be preserved.

Read the press release.

Read the letter.