The GOP is well on the way to repealing Obamacare through a series of votes taking aim at budgetary measures. Republicans haven't revealed a replacement, although President-elect Donald Trump claims replacement will happen “simultaneously.” House speaker Paul Ryan's plan calls for lowering the cost of premiums and introducing health savings accounts
Obamacare changed the healthcare industry, which makes up one-fifth of the economy. Repealing it could jeopardize the millions of jobs, as well as basic access to medical care. The following statistics show how serious that impact could be.
Critics on both side of the aisle have warned that repealing the law without offering a clear alternative could throw insurance markets into chaos and leave millions of Americans without health insurance. That said, all Republican senators voted for repeal, with the exception of Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
Urban Institute researchers studying mortality before and after the Massachusetts healthcare reform on which Obamacare was based found that for every 830 adults insured, one fewer died annually. Before Obamacare, one American died as a result of lacking coverage every 24 minutes, according to the Urban Institute.
The GOP plans to repeal the tax credits that help Americans buy health insurance, and the federal payments that covered Medicaid expansion. Researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health predict this will reduce healthcare revenues. That could have a knock-on economic effect.
Authors Leighton Ku, Erika Steinmetz, Erin Brantley and Brian Bruen predict that almost one million health care jobs could be lost in 2019. That would have a domino effect on local businesses, driving the loss of another 1.5 million jobs in industries like construction and retail.