New District Report Released by Rep. Val Demings Shows Risks of Repealing the ACA

ORLANDO, Fl.—Rep. Val Demings today released a new district report highlighting the devastating risks to the district if President Trump and congressional Republicans move forward with their threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Since the ACA became law in 2010, the uninsured rate in Florida's 10th Congressional district has dropped by 7.2 %.  Nationally, more than 20 million previously uninsured Americans have gained access to affordable and high quality health insurance. Thanks to this expanded access, the uninsured rate has reached an historic low.

The ACA’s historic gains were achieved by creating online Marketplaces for consumers to purchase insurance with financial assistance, and by expanding Medicaid.  The district report finds that 64,600 people in the district selected high-quality coverage through the ACA Marketplaces in 2016, including 60,400 people who received financial assistance to purchase their coverage.  This coverage could be lost if Republicans dismantle the Marketplaces. 

The report also finds that 392,700 people who have employer sponsored health insurance could lose important consumer protections – like the prohibition on annual and lifetime limits and the prohibition on coverage exclusions for preexisting health conditions – if the ACA is repealed. Republican proposals to tax employer-based health coverage could destabilize employer-based coverage and impose the largest middle class tax increase in history on individuals who have health insurance through their employers.

“This report shows the devastating impacts that efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act would have in Central Florida," said Rep. Val Demings. “Today, people in Florida's 10th Congressional district have better health coverage and care thanks to the Affordable Care Act, and we cannot put lives at risk by repealing it."

The report also highlights other health care impacts:

• 343,100 individuals in the district who now have health insurance that covers preventive services like cancer screenings and flu shots without any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles stand to lose this access if the Republican Congress eliminates ACA provisions requiring health insurers to cover important preventive services without cost-sharing.
• 50,400 individuals in the district who are receiving cost-sharing reductions to lower out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, co-pays, and coinsurance, are now at risk of health care becoming unaffordable if the Republican Congress eliminates cost-sharing reductions.
• 33,700 individuals in the district who could become eligible for Medicaid if the state expanded Medicaid will now lose the opportunity to gain coverage if the Republican Congress eliminates the Medicaid expansion.

The district report was compiled and included in a larger staff report issued today by Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 

ACA District Fact Sheets 98.pdf