Study: ACA repeal would increase uncompensated care by $1.1 trillion over 10 years

A partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act could increase the number of uninsured Americans by 29.8 million over 10 years, according to a new report from the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The resulting increase in uncompensated care could total $1.1 trillion between 2019 and 2028, including $296.1 billion in hospital care, the authors estimate. “If federal, state and local governments do not allocate more funding for this care, the financial burden would fall on health care providers,” the report states. The analysis is based on a budget reconciliation bill passed by Congress last year that repealed portions of the ACA but was vetoed by President Obama. For more on the potential impact of repealing the ACA on hospitals, see the recent report from health economic firm Dobson | DaVanzo, commissioned by the AHA and Federation of American Hospitals.