Report: Alabama could lose 28,000 jobs if Affordable Care Act is repealed

Jan. 14--Wayne Rowe would rather not cut staff and services at Anniston Quality Health Care.

But if Congress repeals the federal health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, without a sufficient replacement, there would be few options, he said.

"We'd work hard to keep those services going on," said Rowe, CEO of Quality of Life Health Services, overseer of the Anniston facility, which provides primary care to the poor. "But without the ACA, it would certainly create a negative cash flow."

The Republican-controlled Congress recently took its first steps toward repealing the 2010 health care law, yet still hasn't revealed what would replace it. According to a new study, not replacing the law could nix 28,000 jobs in Alabama and 2.6 million jobs nationwide over the next three years. Some health care experts say the loss of the ACA would also mean a drop in services and greater financial burdens on state hospitals, many of which are already strapped for cash.

The study was published last week by the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Commonwealth Fund. The Commonwealth Fund, headed by a former Obama administration official, is a New York-based national foundation that promotes health care improvement. It estimates that of the 28,000 Alabama jobs that could be lost, 31 percent would come from the health care industry. Another 12 percent would come from construction and real estate, while retail jobs would decline 10 percent statewide, the report states.

The report also estimates the state would lose $465.7 million in state and local taxes and $26.2 billion in business output between 2019 and 2023 if the Affordable Care Act is repealed but not replaced.

"The immediate and most visible effect of the ACA repeal would be the loss of coverage and access to care for millions of people who have gained insurance because of the law," Sara Collins, vice president for health care coverage and access at the Commonwealth Fund, said in a press release. "This study points to even larger potential economic effects that would be detrimental to the health and well-being of millions more."

The ACA created health care exchanges in every state, which offer affordable, tax-subsidized health insurance to millions of low-income Americans. The ACA also funneled money to health care centers like Anniston Quality Health Care.

"We've been able to expand services and hire more people because of the health care law," Rowe said.

Rowe said some new services include telemedicine and expanded care for substance abuse.

In a written Monday message to The Star, Kate Van Meter, spokeswoman for Regional Medical Center in Anniston, wrote that CEO Louis Bass had deferred questions on the Affordable Care Act to the Alabama Hospital Association.

"He has no way of determining the direct impact to our hospital," Van Meter wrote.

Natalie Fleming, spokeswoman for Stringfellow Memorial Hospital in Anniston, also deferred potential impacts from an ACA repeal to the association.

Donald Williamson, CEO of the hospital association, said a sudden loss of insurance for thousands of Alabamians would lead to financial strain for many hospitals.

"You're increasing the number of uninsured and that creates more financial difficulty for those individuals and for hospitals in terms of uncompensated care," Williamson said.

According to a report by the hospital association, 69 percent of surveyed hospitals in the state were operating in the red last year. Also, since 2011, eight Alabama hospitals have closed.

"With more uninsured, that increases the likelihood of other hospitals closing and failing," Williamson said.

Staff writer Patrick McCreless: 256-235-3561. On Twitter @PMcCreless_Star.

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