NJPP Memo: ACA Repeal Would Devastate New Jersey

Now that Congressional efforts to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act have once again collapsed, President Trump is calling on Congress to repeal the ACA now and deal with replacing it later.

“Repealing the Affordable Care Act without an adequate replacement would be the height of irresponsibility, causing serious pain for New Jersey’s residents, its state budget, its economy, its health care providers and its insurers,” said New Jersey Policy Perspective Vice President Jon Whiten. “The American public has made clear that it wants to preserve the coverage gains the Affordable Care Act has made possible, not throw them out the window. New Jersey’s Congressional delegation must continue to oppose deep cuts to Medicaid, cuts to protections for pre-existing conditions, and other federal health care changes that would merely shift existing costs to a nearly broke state. The stakes remain incredibly high.”

As NJPP’s February 2017 analysis shows, repealing the ACA without replacement would devastate New Jersey:

• 1.1 million residents would lose important health benefits – including 839,000 who would lose coverage
• The state would lose $4.2 billion in federal funding each year
• 86,000 New Jersey jobs would be lost
• 777 New Jerseyans would die due to lost insurance

For the full chartbook, which includes a breakdown of losses in every New Jersey county, visit njpp.org/healthcare/acarepeal2017