Oregonians would lose more than most from overturning the Affordable Care Act
Commentary
The healthcare of many Oregonians is on the line in a case soon to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court. The case of California v. Texas, scheduled for oral arguments in November, could result in the court overturning the Affordable Care Act.
If the Supreme Court invalidates the Affordable Care Act, some 20 million Americans would lose their health coverage. A recent analysis by the Urban Institute shows that Oregon would fare worse than most other states.
Here is a snapshot of what overturning the Affordable Care Act would mean for health insurance in Oregon:
- Over 400,000 Oregonians would lose coverage — about one of every 10 people in the state.
- Racial inequality would worsen. The share of Black Oregonians without health insurance would increase by a sobering 176 percent, the largest increase of any racial or ethnic group in the state. Overturning the Affordable Care Act would leave about one in four Black Oregonians without health insurance.
- Young adult Oregonians would bear the brunt. About 100,000 Oregonians age 19 to 26 years old would lose health insurance, leaving about 40 percent without coverage.
- Looking at all working-age adults (age 19-64) together, about 370,000 would lose coverage. That’s about the same number of people living in central Oregon. Right now, health insurance among working-age adults is better in Oregon than nationwide. Overturning the Affordable Care Act would sink Oregon’s rate below the national average, which itself would go down by a lot.
- Children would not be spared. Some 37,000 Oregon children would lose health insurance, doubling their uninsured rate.
These numbers, of course, don’t come close to capturing the full toll that overturning the Affordable Care Act would take. They don’t account for the harm to the physical health, mental health, and financial health of Oregon families resulting from the problems in getting health care without insurance.
Taking away health insurance coverage from hundreds of thousands of Oregonians would move our state in the wrong direction. Instead, we need to put in place stronger structures that ensure that everyone – Black, brown, and white; younger and older — gets the care they need at a cost they can afford.
Posted in Health Care.
More about: affordable care act, health insurance, health reform, obamacare
