Washington, D.C. – A bombshell new report found that five million Americans and counting have lost their health coverage in the year since Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress like Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK-AL) passed the largest health care cuts in history under the Big Ugly Bill. These Republicans made a choice to gut over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations — and all they have to show for it is a sicker nation and the highest inflation in three years.
The sobering milestone of five million Americans joining the ranks of the uninsured is just the latest human toll of the Big Ugly Bill. After Trump, Senator Sullivan and Rep. Begich chose to rip away tax credits from working families, health insurance premiums more than doubled on average. More than 1,000 hospitals, clinics, and essential providers have closed, are at risk of closure, or have cut essential services. And a new poll found more than half of Americans have made sacrifices to deal with high health care costs over the past year, like delaying or avoiding going to the doctor’s office, or taking on medical or credit card debt.
“Senator Sullivan and Rep. Begich helped manufacture the Republican health care affordability crisis that’s left over five million Americans without coverage and counting,” said Brad Woodhouse, President of Save My Care. “We were promised the Trump-Sullivan-Begich Big Ugly Bill would give us the best economy ever by throwing more tax breaks at price-gouging corporations and Trump’s billionaire donors. Instead, it’s done nothing but make historically bad new problems from doubled premiums, mass hospital closures, higher inflation, and millions more denials of care for working people. Trillionaire Elon Musk may be laughing about getting another tax break, but there’s nothing funny about Senator Sullivan and Rep. Begich putting so many Alaska families in a financial bind under the largest health care cuts in U.S. history. All those now making hard choices like not seeing a doctor when needed or going into deep medical debt have Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress to thank.”
BY THE NUMBERS: ALASKANS CHOOSE BETWEEN PAYING MORE OR FOREGOING HEALTH CARE COVERAGE
- An estimated 17,195 Alaskans have already lost their Medicaid, CHIP, or ACA coverage after Republicans gutted health care.
- 29,000 Alaskans total are anticipated to lose their health care between 2025 and 2034.
- Premiums for Alaskans receiving ACA tax credits increased by an average of 346% this year:
- A 45-year-old in Alaska making $64,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $7,213 to hit $13,993 this year.
- A 60-year-old couple in Alaska making $85,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $43,589 to hit $52,598 this year.
- A family of four in Alaska making $130,000 saw their average annual premium costs rise by $25,793to hit $39,594 this year.
- Now, thanks to Republicans gutting the premium tax credits and hiking Alaskans’ premiums, providers in Alaska will lose an additional $87 million in funding and face a 9.7% spike in uncompensated care demand.
- Alaska hospitals alone are expected to lose nearly just under $881 million annually. 7 Alaska health care providers are at-risk, announced cuts, are closing, or have closed, including:
- AT-RISK: Cordova Community Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Ketchikan Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Providence Kodiak Island Medical Center
- AT-RISK: Providence Seward Medical & Care Cen
- AT-RISK: Providence Valdez Medical Center
- CLOSURE ANNOUNCED: Identity Health Clinic
- FACILITY CLOSED: Interior Community Health Center
###
