Who wins under the AHCA? Those who are healthy, wealthy, young and male
“Unsurprisingly, the ‘winners’ under the AHCA are healthy, upper-and-middle class, and young, while the ‘losers’ are poor, sick, and elderly. To help the wealthy, the bill eliminates the ACA’s 0.9% increase in the Medicare payroll tax and 3.8% investment income tax for individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000 a year. It also provides subsidies to help with insurance costs for individuals earning up to $150,000 per year, a dramatic increase from the $48,000 per person permitted under the ACA. It also hurts those who are sick. The bill permits states to apply for waivers from many of the regulations and consumer protections contained in the ACA. Under these waivers, states can allow insurance companies: (1) to eliminate required coverage for essential health benefits, including maternity care, mental health, and prescription drugs, (2) to charge individuals more, or deny coverage to individuals, who have pre-existing conditions, and (3) to put those with preexisting conditions in special high-risk pools. An AARP study predicted that if states implemented these measures, people with pre-existing conditions could pay premiums as high as $25,700 annually.”