A new analysis of the Graham-Cassidy legislation suggests that it would trigger the loss of 345,000 jobs by the year 2026. The Graham-Cassidy proposal is the latest Congressional effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Leighton Ku, PhD, Director of the Center for Health Policy Research at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, and colleagues looked at the potential effects of the current version of the bill on employment and state economies.
Key findings of the analysis were:
- Total U.S. employment rises initially but then drops by the year 2026 and would fall even more in 2027 if the short-term block grant is not extended or is scaled back.
- Health care employment drops immediately, declining by 47,000 jobs in 2018; with 267,000 jobs lost by 2026.
- State economies, as measured by gross state products, would erode by $39 billion (in current dollars) by 2026.
Personnel from the Milken Institute School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management personnel who contributed to the report include Erika Steinmetz, Erin Brantley and PhD Student Drishti Pillai.
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