Recent proposals to repeal ACA protections for patients with pre-existing conditions would adversely affect half of all Americans not enrolled in public insurance programs like Medicare or Medicaid, according to a new study from Avalere.
There are 204 million Americans who are not covered by these government payers, and 102 million of them live with pre-existing conditions, the study found. Cardiovascular disease is the most common pre-existing conditions, with 56,700,000 Americans living with the condition, and 28,600,000 suffer from some kind of mental health disorder.
"Protections for pre-existing conditions are the only reason some Americans are able to afford health insurance," said Chris Sloan, director at Avalere. "Many of the most common health conditions in the country could lead to individuals being denied access to health insurance if pre-existing condition protections are eliminated."