“There is no question in my mind that we are going to be a poorer and a sicker country.”
Audrey, the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, explains that her agency provides Affordable Care Act coverage to about 370,000 residents who don’t get insurance through jobs or programs like Medicaid or Medicare. For nearly 20 years, Massachusetts has expanded coverage through a strong state-federal partnership, but that progress is now being reversed by new federal cuts and the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits. Tens of thousands of people are losing the financial help they rely on, forcing many to drop coverage and hope they don’t get sick or injured.