The mayor sent the letter following a request from House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) asking states to share their ideas for reforming healthcare.
“The District of Columbia has been a leader in expanding access to affordable healthcare for our residents. Because we leveraged the ACA, more than 96 percent of District residents now have health coverage. And, we rank among the top three states with the lowest uninsured rates in the country. Since we opened DC Health Link, the District’s online health insurance marketplace, we have cut our uninsured rate in half,” the mayor wrote.
She went on to note the District expanded Medicaid coverage immediately under the ACA and as a result, 75,000 childless adults now have coverage. She said the cost for expanded coverage for childless adults is more than $468 million annually, but the local share of this cost is approximately $58 million.
“We estimate that by the end of fiscal year 2018, there will be 90,000 people at a total cost of more than $623 million, with the local cost of approximately $60 million. Many of these persons have complex medical problems, would be considered high risk in the private market and could not afford unsubsidized premiums,” she wrote.
Mayor Bowser ended her letter by saying that expanding, not limiting or reducing, affordable healthcare coverage is a priority for the District.
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