Report: GOP health care plan could cost Iowa 9,200 jobs
That's according to a new report out Wednesday by
Researchers looked at more than 20 provisions of the law, including changes to Medicaid, premium tax credits and health funds for states, to see how they would affect employment and state economics.
The plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act -- which is now being reworked by the
"There's lots of attention right not on those who would lose health insurance," said
Their findings?
Nationwide, gross state products -- an economic measure similar to the gross domestic product -- could fall by
What's more, states that expanded Medicaid, such as
Health care jobs
The health care sector would take the biggest hit, nationally and in
Health care has been one the economy's bright spots, Ku said, growing quickly over the past several years and providing quality jobs. But those job losses can reach outside the sector as well, affecting retail, construction and real estate, among other sectors.
Insurance companies as well as Medicare and Medicaid reimburse health care facilities for care provided. Those hospitals, pharmacists and other providers then use that revenue to pay employees, rent space and buy equipment.
If dollars for Medicaid patients begin to dry up, hospitals may be less likely to hire additional workers to build an expansion, for example, Ku said. That can trickle out further to additional sectors if health care workers aren't as likely to buy other goods and services.
In addition, the report found that while some states might see an initial uptick in employment due to proposed tax cuts, employment in the health sector would fall immediately in 2018 in 17 states and across most of the Midwest including
In
"Business will be tighter," Ku said. "You can be working in grocery store or something else completely. There is a drag that occurs for you too. ... Some people are concerned about health care but there are plenty of people concerned with jobs. The president and congressional leaders want to create jobs and bolster economy but this particular policy action doesn't look like it will do that."
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