OUR POSITION ON AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE:

United Way of Greater Lorain County supports federal and state policies that preserve and strengthen access to affordable healthcare for low-income and working Ohioans.

INTRODUCTION:

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) ) was signed into law in 2010 with the primary goal of reducing the number of uninsured Americans by expanding access to health insurance. This was accomplished through the creation of the Health Insurance Marketplace and premium tax credits which made coverage more affordable. The ACA also allowed young adults to remain on their parents’ health plans until age 26, required insurance plans to cover individuals with pre-existing conditions, and gave states the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to include low-income adults under the age of 64.

Ohio opted to expand Medicaid in 2014, significantly increasing access to coverage for low-income working individuals who previously fell into coverage gaps. 

Recent federal policy changes outlined in the federal budget reconciliation (H.R. 1) significantly reduce federal healthcare funding, shift greater financial responsibility to states, and increase administrative complexity for those individuals’ seeking coverage. It is estimated that Ohio could lose approximately $33 billion dollars in federal funding over the next ten years. 

Many of the individuals affected by these changes are already working in low-wage, part-time, or service-sector jobs where employer-sponsored health insurance is unaffordable, limited, or nonexistent. In Ohio, work requirements alone could put between 319,000 and 439,000 individuals at risk of losing coverage not because they’re ineligible, but because of the added barriers to maintaining enrollment and coverage. 

RELATED TO UNITED WAY OF GREATER LORAIN COUNTY INITIATIVE:

• Healthy Community