The Maine Center for Economic Policy, an Augusta-based progressive think tank, has released a new report detailing the economic harm it says would be caused by repealing the Affordable Care Act.
The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are touting a repeal, although if the law were repealed, it’s unclear what it would be replaced with.
“Repealing the law without a suitable replacement would cause 95,000 fewer Mainers to have health insurance in 2019,” the report said. “The ACA has helped curb increases in health insurance costs for individuals and businesses in Maine. It has also helped reduce uncompensated care costs for Maine hospitals. These benefits have been evident across the state, but the ACA has been particularly beneficial for Mainers aged 55-64 and those living in rural areas.”
The loss of federal subsidies that help Mainers purchase ACA marketplace insurance would total $390 million in 2019, according to the report.
The report also said 19,000 Mainers with mental illness or substance use disorders would lose access to counseling and medication needed for treatment if the law were repealed.
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