The lede in Dan Linehan's article in the Mankato Free Press, Medicaid cuts would be dramatic in region; Caseload has grown by 50 percent, demonstrates the scale of potential changes coming to Blue Earth County and nearby communities should the Republican plan to replace the ACA, called the American Health Care Act, become law:
On Jan. 1, 2014, millions of low-income Americans became eligible for free or cheap health insurance from the government as part of the Affordable Care Act.
In Blue Earth County, the effect has been dramatic: In just three years, the number of Medicaid (or Medical Assistance) cases in the county has risen by more than half. About 11,900 county residents, about 18 percent of its population, were covered in 2016, according to state data.
But change may be on the horizon. The Republican plan to replace the ACA, called the American Health Care Act, would reduce federal Medicaid payments by 24 percent and result in 14 million fewer enrollees by 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office. It has been passed by the U.S. House and is scheduled to be considered by the Senate after the July 4th recess.
Many Mankato-area patients are worried they’ll end up as one of those 14 million people if the bill is signed into law.
“Our patients are very scared” at the prospect of losing their health insurance, said Douglas Jaeger, Jr., CEO of Open Door Health Center. “Let’s keep up hope they’re going to come up with something better than wiping millions of people off Medicaid.”
Image: Read the entire article for more perspective on the graphic (above) that accompanies the article.
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