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200,000 W. Va Residents Would Lose Mental Health, Addiction Access With Federal Repeal
By: Associated Press
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Health care advocates say new data analyses show that repealing the federal Affordable Care Act without a replacement would cut insurance coverage for more than 200,000 West Virginians with mental illness or addictions.
According to an Urban Institute analysis, 184,000 West Virginians would lose health coverage.
The Kaiser Family Foundation says more than 29,000 would lose federal tax credits under so-called “Obamacare” toward insurance premium payments averaging $388 million.
According to state officials, 169,614 West Virginians are enrolled in the Medicaid expansion authorized by the federal law.
Another 37,000 residents who have received coverage on the health insurance exchange the law established and could be affected by the repeal.
President-elect Donald Trump says his plan is to “repeal and replace” President Barack Obama’s health care law “essentially simultaneously.”