Repeal of Obamacare would cost 147,700 jobs according to report

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) released the following statement in response to a new report that found that Texas would lose 174,700 jobs and the nation overall would lose a total of 2.6 million jobs in 2019 alone as a result of the Republicans’ repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Close to one-third of the jobs lost would be in the health care sector.

This report documents how the ACA repeal would have consequences well beyond the health care system – leading to substantial job losses and losses in state economic activity.

“We in Congress must be mindful of not only the thousands in our districts but the millions across the country who are at risk of losing health coverage,” expressed Congresswoman Johnson after reviewing the report. “A repeal of the healthcare law would put millions of jobs under attack. Repealing the ACA is dangerous and a threat to our community and our nation’s economic growth. After the years it took to dig this country out of recession that followed the 2008 housing collapse, why would we do something to put our citizens, our economy, and our country’s future at risk again.”

The state-by-state report was prepared by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund and George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.  It analyzes the economic impact of the repeal of two specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act – the premium tax credits for individuals in the ACA Marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion.

In addition to job loss, the report also analyzes what the impact of ACA repeal would be on each state’s gross state product (the state-level equivalent to the national Gross Domestic Product) and state and local taxes:

• The Loss of Gross State Product in Texas: The report finds that repealing the ACA would result in the loss of $107.4 million in gross state product, a key indicator of economic health, in Texas from 2019 to 2023.
• The Loss of State and Local Taxes in Texas: The report also finds that repealing the ACA would result in the loss of $2.7 million in state and local taxes in Texas from 2019 to 2023 – placing an enormous strain on the state budget.

In addition, the study finds that, nationwide, ACA repeal would result in the loss of $256 billion in gross state products in 2019 and a cumulative loss of $1.5 trillion in gross state products from 2019 to 2023.

“This report reaffirms that the people of Texas simply cannot afford the disastrous results of the Republican’s ACA repeal plan,” said Congresswoman Johnson. “It is unconscionable to me that the Republicans refuse to look at what has worked and what needs improvement in this law before repealing it with no plan. This repeal strips the right of health care away from millions in our country. I am committed and will continue to work to ensure that the ACA stays in place, despite the uproar and support Republicans have put forth to dismantle it.”