Thread by @ASlavitt

March 23 is the 10 year anniversary of the passage of the #ACA. Since Trump is trying to get rid of it, reminders of what life before the ACA was like and could be again. 1/

LIFETIME LIMITS- 60% of employer plans had a lifetime limit. Every year, 20,000 new people would hit that limit, ending their insurance. 2/

PREVENTIVE CARE: Because of the ACA, 150 million Americans now have access to free preventative benefits without a co-payment or deductible.

Trump is aiming to end this. 3/

DENIALS: Before the ACA, health insurance could be routinely declined based on your health conditions. 27% of adult Americans have a health condition that would result in them getting denied coverage.

This is where Trump aims to return if he wins and can strike down the law.4/

RECISSIONS: Before the ACA, insurers were permitted to cancel your entire policy after you bought it & were diagnosed with an expensive illness for a minor inaccuracy. This happened ~10,000 people/year often a cancer.

Trump wants to get rid of the ACA and allow this again.
5/

UPCHARGING: Before the ACA, you could be denied insurance for having any of these conditions.

Or, you could be upcharged. Examples: $4270 more for asthma, $17,060 for pregnancy, $160,510 for metastatic cancer.

ACA stopped this. Trump wants this to be legal again.6/

DRUG COSTS FOR SENIORS: Since the ACA, 12 million seniors have paid $2000 less for their Rx drugs.

Trump wants to repeal the ACA and go back to the old way where seniors paid more. 7/

COMMUNITY HOSPITALS: Before the ACA low income and middle class people couldn’t afford many of their bills.

If the ACA is repealed as Trump is aiming, they will see a $1.1 trillion increase in bad debt as people go bankrupt again in record numbers.

/8

INSURANCE COVERED ONLY WHAT INSURANCE COMPANIES DECIDED: Before the ACA, pregnancy, mental health, many rx drugs were routinely not covered. The ACA brought 10 essential benefits, requiring a standard that all 10 are covered.

Trump wants to get rid of this./9

AGE TAX: Before the ACA, people over 50 could be charged 10x more than they are today. Under GOP proposals, they could be charged $12,000 more than they are today for the same insurance.

Trump wants to eliminate the ACA to make this legal again. 10/

CARE FOR VETERANS, PEOPLE WITH MENTAL ILLNESS OR IN RECOVERY: 2.8 million people with substance abuse issues, 1.25 million in mental health treatment, and 42% of vets would lose coverage if the ACA were repealed as Trump is aiming to do.

/11

VIRUSES AND PANDEMICS: Before the ACA, vaccines were available to only those who can afford them. The ACA made them freely available to the public.

Trump wants us to go back to the old way. 12/

INSURANCE COMPANY PROFITS: Before the ACA, insurance cos could routinely spend only 40-50% of your premiums on medical care. Now they must spend at least 80% thanks to the ACA resulting in billions of dollars sent back to consumers.

Trump wants it to go back to the old way./13

YOUNG ADULTS CUT OFF AT 18: Before the ACA, once you turned 18, you were cut off from your parents plan. Now 2.3 million kids are covered as you can stay on til age 26.

Trump is trying to repeal the ACA and get it back to the old way. 14/

PEOPLE WItH UNDER $100K IN INCOME. Most could never afford quality insurance. Now most can for $75/month or less, some with $0 premium. 10 million have gotten insured for the first time since then.

Trump is trying to take us back to the old way. 15/

WORKING CLASS MOBILITY: Before the ACA people were stuck in big company jobs which were dwindling.

After the ACA, vocational degrees, adult Ed, small businesses & new businesses skyrocketing, part of driving 17 million new jobs.

Trump wants us to go back to the old way./16

UNINSURED RATE: The uninsured rate dropped dramatically from the ACA. Under Trump it’s going back up. If he repeals the ACA as he aiming in the Courts, it will jump to where it used to be. 17/

WOMEN: Before the ACA, a small portion of the population called women were routinely charged 50% to multiples more than men. And only one state required maternity coverage.

Trump is aiming to eliminate the ACA so we could go back to this. 18/