Obamacare Repeal Would 'Devastate' Atlantic County, Study Claims

If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, it would “devastate” Atlantic County, along with the rest of New Jersey, a recent study claims.

On Tuesday, economic think-tank New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) released a report that claims that the repeal of the ACA – otherwise known as Obamacare - would cause “tremendous damage” to every part of New Jersey, especially among low-income workers and seniors.

According to NJPP’s analysis, 42,000 Atlantic County residents would lose their benefits if Obamacare is repealed.

It would also cost the county $175 million in federal funding, and 3,600 jobs would be lost, according to the study.

Learn more about the study’s methodology and see a county-by-county list of projected impacts here.

“Repeal threatens all communities across our state,” Maura Collinsgru, Health Care Program Director at New Jersey Citizen Action and the convener of the New Jersey For Health Care coalition, said. “We and our coalition partners are asking county and city officials to speak out and pass a resolution urging Congress to preserve the gains we’ve made and reject any effort to reduce coverage and guaranteed protections now available under the ACA.”

To date, four counties - Essex, Hudson, Mercer and Union ­ have passed resolutions that speak out against ACA repeal, as has the city of Jersey City, the NJPP stated.

According to a Gallup poll taken in November of 2016 after the presidential election, 53 percent of Americans “disapprove” of the ACA, while only 42 percent “approve” of it. In addition, 37 percent want it repealed and replaced, and 43 percent want the law kept but with “major changes.”

Photo: Flickr Commons, NEC Corporation of America