March 14, 2017
WASHINGTON – The Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF) issued the following statement in response to the release of the Congressional Budget Office report on the Republican health care repeal bill.
“The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a federal agency that provides nonpartisan economic and budget analyses for Congress, determined that over 24 million people will be uninsured under the Republican health care repeal bill – a far cry from promises that no American will be left worse off. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (AAs and NHPIs) benefited greatly under the Affordable Care Act and would be among the hardest hit under the proposed legislation. Since the law’s passage, the percent of uninsured AAs has dropped by half and nearly half for NHPIs. The Republican repeal bill would put those coverage gains in jeopardy.
The research and factual based CBO analysis found that older and low income Americans would have a significant cost barrier to insurance, with some paying more than half of their yearly income for health coverage. The proposed Medicaid cuts alone would result in 14 million people losing health insurance.
Repealing the ACA will be devastating for the 2 million AAs and NHPIs who stand to lose coverage and many other lawfully present immigrant communities who would be locked out. The bill singles out groups like Compact of Free Association (COFA) communities who are currently eligible for tax credits under the ACA by removing their eligibility and leaving them without any means to afford coverage.
The bottom line – less care, higher costs, and paying more for less.”
Infographics on how the ACA Repeal Bill will impact AAs and NHPIs are available for download below.