New York Young Adults to Be Most Affected by Repeal of ACA: Study

A new study by personal finance website WalletHub found New York's young adults most vulnerable with the end of the Affordable Care Act.

With President Donald Trump issuing an executive order on Jan. 20 to begin reversing "Obamacare" and an estimated 18 million individuals expected to lose health-insurance coverage in the first year following repeal of the law, WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis identifying 2017’s States Most Affected by ACA Repeal.

In order to assess the impact of the ACA’s repeal at the state level, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across seven key metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most negative outcome for the state. Data were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, The Urban Institute, The Commonwealth Fund, National Conference of State Legislature and Alliance Defending Freedom.

New York had an overall score of 33, showing an overall below-average impact of the repeal.

Effect of ACA Repeal in New York (1=Most Affected; 25=Avg.):

• 44th – Growth in Uninsured Rate by 2019 Post-ACA Repeal
• 37th – Growth in Uninsured Rate in 2021 (ACA Effective vs. Repealed)
• 38th – Potential Jobs Lost Due to Repeal of Tax Credits & Medicaid Expansion in 2019
• 30th – Potential Economic Impact Due to Repeal of Premium Tax Credits & Medicaid Expansion (2019 to 2023)
• 32nd – Growth in Uncompensated Care Costs in 2021 (ACA Effective vs. Repealed)
• 12th – Share of Young Adults with Health-Insurance Coverage

New York showed the most vulnerability for young adults. Under the ACA, dependent adult children are eligible for health-insurance coverage through their parents’ policies until the age of 26.

Repealing the ACA would eliminate such eligibility, resulting in a large number of young adults lacking insurance coverage. Thus, the larger the current percentage of the population aged 18 to 26 with health insurance, the more the state stands to lose upon dissolution of the ACA.

WalletHub noted, however, that this metric considers only the population aged 18 to 24 due to demographic data grouping by the U.S. Census Bureau, which includes the population aged 25 to 26 within the 25 to 34 age bracket.

Find the methodology and the full report here.

Photo credit: Michael Vadon