Kentucky is among the states that gained the most from the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Our rate of uninsured dropped dramatically, more people are getting needed preventive care, and already, Kentuckians are reporting having better health. Kentucky’s 5th congressional district has the 3rd largest decrease in the percent of people uninsured of all 435 districts, and has the 3rd largest number of people enrolled in the Medicaid expansion.
All of these historic gains are at stake now with the American Health Care Act (AHCA), designed to repeal and replace the ACA. Many people purchasing insurance on the marketplace will see financial assistance cut; Medicaid expansion enrollment will be frozen and its funding drastically reduced, effectively ending that vital program; and for those who don’t lose Medicaid coverage, benefits like maternity care, preventive services and mental health could be revoked.
Beyond rolling back the ACA, the AHCA fundamentally restructures Medicaid by capping what the federal government will pay per enrollee. This radical policy effectively shifts billions of dollars in cost to the states, and will force Kentucky lawmakers to ration care or drop people from coverage altogether.
According to an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office, 24 million Americans will lose coverage by 2026, most of which will come from rolling back Medicaid. Working families, seniors, children, healthcare providers and our economy are all at great risk of harm if this legislation becomes law. These major changes will take us backward as a country and a commonwealth. Kentucky has six congressional districts with lawmakers in Washington who represent them. This is what’s at stake in each one:
Fact Sheets on the House ACA Repeal Plan by Kentucky Congressional District
James Comer: AHCA – KY 1st Congressional District
Brett Guthrie: AHCA – KY 2nd Congressional District
John Yarmuth: AHCA – KY 3rd Congressional District
Thomas Massie: AHCA – KY 4th Congressional District
Hal Rogers: AHCA – KY 5th Congressional District
Andy Barr: AHCA – KY 6th Congressional District
Updated April 27, 2017.
