More to worry about than just the dismantling of the Affordable Care Act

Substantial changes to medicaid will affect disabled and low income Americans

Sure, advocates for the federal Affordable Care Act are worried. 

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to dismantle it and a Republican Senate and Congress appear happy to oblige.

But that’s not the only worry about taking care of those in danger of not having insurance, says Jon Peacock with the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families.

“That concern I have is actually eclipsed by another one,” he said, “which is they will not only undo the progress that’s been made in having 20 million fewer people uninsured but will actually exasperate problems by making very substantial changes to medicaid.

“They’re going to change the way that we fund it and it caps medicaid in ways that the funding won’t keep up with the changing demographics in the country that require more spending. In result, a lot of people are going to lose their medicaid coverage.”

Peacock is also worried about what might happen to Medicaid money that goes to states.

“Changing the essential nature of the medicaid program in a way that’s going to result in millions losing their medicate coverage – millions of low income families and probably some elderly people and people with disabilities,” he said.

Currently, about 73 million low income Americans are on Medicaid with programs costing a total of about $500 million. The feds pick up a little less than two thirds that cost for the program to insure low income people.