Texas least affected by ACA repeal

Jan. 25--One study says Texas will be the state least affected by the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare..

As his first orders of business, President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 20 to begin dismantling the ACA. While people across the nation express concern over a lack of replacement or clear timeline of implementation, Texas will be least impacted, according to the study.

An analysis by WalletHub released this week said Texas ranks at the very end of variables that could cause financial or coverage losses for individuals in each state.

The study looked at seven key metrics for each state and the District of Columbia. A measure of one means most affected with a measure of 25 being average.

The metrics used were:

* Growth in uninsured population by 2019, post-ACA repeal (Texas ranked 49th)

* Growth in uninsured population in 2021 (if ACA were effective vs. repealed) (Texas ranked 48th)

* Presence of Planned Parenthood funding (binary ranking meaning the state either does or does not have PP funding in place. Texas had voted to defund the program, but the ousting has been delayed by a U.S. District judge until at least Feb. 21.)

* Potential jobs lost because of repeal of tax credits and Medicaid expansion in 2019 (Texas ranked 45th)

* Potential economic impact due to repeal of premium tax credits and Medicaid expansion (2019-2023) (Texas ranked 45th)

* Growth in uncompensated care costs in 2021 (ACA effective vs. repealed) (Texas ranked 44th)

* Share of young adults with health insurance coverage (Texas ranked 51th)

An overall ranking was then assessed through weighted averages of these metrics giving an overall score for each state. The state set to be most affected is Massachusetts with a score of more than 85. Texas' score was 8.51.

Data sources for the analysis came from the U.S Census Bureau, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Urban Institute, The Commonwealth Fund, and the National Conference of State Legislature and Alliance of Defending Freedom.

Timothy Callaghan, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health at Texas A&M, said while parts of the ACA were unsavory to some Americans, some sections were quite popular.

"In particular, Americans across political parties are supportive of provisions that allow young adults to stay on their parents' health plans until age 26, preventing insurance companies from denying insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions, and eliminating out-of-pocket costs for preventive care and services," he said.

With the new administration attempting to replace the ACA, these popular provisions will prove the most difficult to remove, Callaghan said.

"Their repeal could lead to backlash even in conservative districts. In fact, President Trump has already noted that he would like to keep the provisions that allow young adults to stay on their parents' health plans and that prevent pre-existing condition exclusions," he said.

Employers remain the primary providers of health insurance coverage with about 49 percent of Americans getting insurance through their workplace. Even with sweeping changes to the ACA, Callaghan believes the role of employers as primary coverage providers is not likely to change.

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