Governor Gina Raimondo has sent a letter to US House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging him to reconsider repealing the Affordable Care Act. Raimondo argues the ACA is working in Rhode Island, and that repealing it would undo progress in insuring more Rhode Islanders.
Raimondo cites the fact that Obamacare has helped slash the number of uninsured Rhode Islanders to four and half percent, from 12 percent. That’s partly because of the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to cover more low income Rhode Islanders and partly because of the state’s online health insurance marketplace, HealthSource RI.
She says the state’s efforts to transform the way health care is delivered and paid for would not have been possible without funding from the Affordable Care Act. She urges McCarthy to preserve coverage for the newly insured and avoid transferring costs for that coverage to states.
Congressional Republicans say they plan to make repealing the ACA a priority.