Analysis: Senate Health Care Bill Could Lead to Loss of Nearly 1.5 Million Jobs
<p>If it becomes law, the Senate health care bill known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act could lead to a loss of 1.45 million U.S. jobs by 2026 and trigger an economic downturn in virtually every state, according to a report published today by researchers at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health and The Commonwealth Fund. </p><p>States that will see the worst job losses are New York, California, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Indiana. Although states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would experience the greatest losses, even states that did not expand, like Florida and Maine, would see job losses and weaker economies under the Senate bill, which closely resembles a repeal-and-replace bill passed by the House of Representatives in May.</p>
<p>“Although the Congressional Budget Office found that both the Senate and House bills had similar effects in increasing the number of uninsured, our analysis indicates that the Senate bill has the potential to be more damaging to states’ economies,” said Leighton Ku, the study’s lead author.</p>