Women's Health Coverage -How ACA Repeal Will Affect You !

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REPEAL THREATENS THE HEALTH AND ECONOMIC SECURITY OF 7.8 MILLION WOMEN WHO RECENTLY GAINED INSURANCE COVERAGE

Health care is key to women’s well-being and economic stability. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA, also known as “Obamacare”), insurance is easier to get and afford, and plans can no longer refuse to cover women. Each year, millions of women enroll in insurance plans under the ACA, but the law is under constant threat. Any repeal of the ACA or changes to the Medicaid program threaten the important gains women have made in obtaining quality, affordable health coverage that allows them to stay healthy and economically secure. Recent Census data show that if the ACA is repealed or changes are made to the Medicaid program, women have a lot to lose. LOSING GAINS IN HEALTH COVERAGE NATIONWIDE: • More than 88.5 million women ages 18–64 across the United States now have health insurance through an employer, the ACA marketplaces, state Medicaid programs, or another source. This means almost 9 in 10 women ages 18–64 now have health coverage. • Between 2013–2015, more than 7.8 million women ages 18–64 gained health insurance coverage, a growth rate of 10 percent nationally.1 Repealing the ACA or changing the Medicaid program puts these millions of women in jeopardy of losing their health coverage. REVERSING GAINS IN EVERY STATE: • Five states and D.C. have achieved nearly universal health coverage (95 percent or greater) of women ages 18–64, and in the majority of states, more than 90 percent of non-elderly women now have health insurance coverage. Before the ACA, only one state (Massachusetts) had nearly universal coverage of women ages 18–64. • The ten states with the greatest increase in health coverage between 2013–2015 for women ages 18–64 are Nevada, California, Kentucky, Florida, Oregon, Arkansas, West Virginia, Washington, Arizona, and Texas, where more than half of the 7.8 million women ages 18–64 who gained health coverage reside. ACA repeal or changes to the Medicaid program could mean women lose the health coverage they have gained in every state across the country. SPECIFICALLY THREATENING GAINS IN STATES THAT HAVE EXPANDED MEDICAID: • States expanding Medicaid have seen the largest increases in insurance coverage of women ages 18–64 between 2013–2015. The vast majority—about 5 million—of women ages 18–64 who have gained health coverage live in a state that expanded Medicaid. • Non-expansion states have the lowest proportions of women ages 18–64 with health coverage. The states with the lowest are Mississippi, Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Texas. In Texas, more than 1 in 5women ages 18–64 remains uninsured. These data indicate that expanding Medicaid produces large gains in health insurance for women across the board. Repealing the ACA, and in particular repealing Medicaid expansion, would put these gains at risk. 11 DUPONT CIRCLE, NW, #800, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 P: (202) 588 5180 WWW.NWLC.ORG HEALTH | PAGE 2 Find information on the gains made in coverage for women ages 18–64 in your state, and how many women stand to lose coverage, below. Health Insurance Coverage of Women 18-64 Source: NWLC calculations based on American Community Survey (IPUMS-USA), 2013 and 2015 ACS 1-year estimates available at https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml. 1 NWLC calculations based on American Community Survey (IPUMS-USA), 2013 and 2015 ACS 1-year estimates available at https://usa.ipums. org/usa/index.shtml. Gains made in health insurance coverage of women 18–64, from 2013–2015 is calculated as the difference between the number of women with health insurance in 2013 and number of women with health insurance in 2015. Our analysis compares 2013 and 2015 health insurance coverage of women 18-64 as a representation of pre- and post-Affordable Care Act (ACA) trends. While some reforms of the ACA went into effect in 2010, the marketplaces did not become operational until 2014, and many of the major reforms aimed at expanding health coverage to more Americans—such as prohibitions on denying coverage for prior medical conditions, requirements that individuals have health insurance coverage, expansion of Medicaid to all adults making up to 133% of Federal Poverty Level, and availability of tax credits.