News
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act Could Hurt Seniors
- By: USAging
- On: 01/10/2020 09:47:07
- In: Policy & Advocacy
A court of appeals ruling late last year declared the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) individual coverage requirement unconstitutional, threatening the law's legitimacy. As a result, health care and aging advocates are taking to social media to spotlight how important the law is to many populations—including older adults!
Following the appeals court's ruling on the ACA's individual mandate, judges left the question of whether the overall law is constitutional for a lower court to reconsider. Ultimately, if the courts rule that the full scope of the law is unconstitutional, many of the ACA's long-standing provisions and protections would be reversed. If the ACA is eliminated, 4.5 million older adults could lose coverage through Medicaid expansion.
Additionally, repealing the law's pre-existing coverage protections would allow insurers to deny health insurance to nearly half of all older adults between age 55 and 64 who have a pre-existing condition. This means that millions of older adults would lose vital health care coverage in the years prior to Medicare enrollment and ultimately reach Medicare eligibility age in poorer health–all at an ultimately higher cost to taxpayers. Advocates can use n4a's social media messaging to champion the importance of protecting the ACA!