MA Ranked as Most Affected State by Repeal of Obamacare

Thursday, January 26, 2017

GoLocalWorcester News Team

Massachusetts will be the most affected state by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, according to a recent study done by WalletHub.

"Since former President Barack Obama’s signature health-care legislation — more popularly known as “Obamacare” — was passed in 2010, more than 20 million individuals have gained insurance coverage, resulting in the lowest uninsured rate in history by early 2016. Reversal of the law is expected to raise the uninsured rate by an estimated 18 million in the first plan year following repeal, then 32 million by 2026, according to official estimates," said WalletHub.

Massachusetts is projected to have the highest growth in uninsured population by 2019 post-aca repeal. MA is also projected to have the third highest growth in uninsured population in 2021.

The Rankings

The top five most affected states are as follows:

1. Massachusetts

2. West Virginia

3. Kentucky

4. Rhode Island

5. Oregon

See the full rankings in the map below.

Source: WalletHub

The Method

In order to assess the impact of the ACA’s repeal at the state level, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across seven key metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most negative outcome for the state.

WalletHub then calculated the overall score for each state and the District using its weighted average across all metrics and constructed our final ranking based on the resulting scores.

Growth in Uninsured Population by 2019 Post-ACA Repeal: Double Weight (~23.53 Points)
Growth in Uninsured Population in 2021 (ACA Effective vs. Repealed): Double Weight (~23.53 Points)
Presence of Planned Parenthood Funding: Half Weight (~5.88 Points)
Potential Jobs Lost Due to Repeal of Tax Credits & Medicaid Expansion in 2019: Full Weight (~11.76 Points)
Potential Economic Impact Due to Repeal of Premium Tax Credits & Medicaid Expansion (2019 to 2023): Full Weight (~11.76 Points)
Growth in Uncompensated Care Costs in 2021 (ACA Effective vs. Repealed): Full Weight (~11.76 Points)
Share of Young Adults with Health-Insurance Coverage: Full Weight (~11.76 Points)

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