May 26, 2017 Press Releases and Announcements

562,000 Virginians Would Lose Health Care Under Trumpcare


by Christina Freundlich

Coverage Losses Would Be Concentrated to Medicaid Program

Trump-Gillespie Plan Could Also Increase Costs for 1,344,000 Virginians with Pre-Existing Conditions

On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released its score showing that the American Health Care Act (AHCA) would eliminate coverage for 14 million Americans next year and for 23 million by 2026. In Virginia alone, however,562,000 Virginians would lose health care under the bill.

This comes after news broke earlier this month that Ed Gillespie said he would consider exploring plans under Trumpcare to raise premiums on 1,344,000Virginians with pre-existing conditions.

The coverage losses under AHCA would be concentrated in the Medicaid program, but the level of private coverage would also drop compared to Obamacare. The CBO also projects that the bill would destabilize insurance markets; make individual coverage exceedingly expensive for older Americans and people with pre-existing conditions; slash Medicaid funding by $834 billion over the next decade; and increase premiums by an average of 20 percent next year.

“Not only do Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie want to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, but they now are pushing a bill through that would cause over a half a million Virginians to lose their health insurance,” said DPVA spokeswoman Christina Freundlich. “Too many lives are at stake, which is why Virginians need to elect another Democrat to the governor’s mansion this fall.”