New Health Care Bill Could Leave Some Elderly Outs

Millions of elderly could be left without health insurance coverage should this new Republican health care bill take effect.

According to California Health line, by 2020, House Republicans will have phased out the expansion of Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal in California, and individuals will no longer be required to have health insurance.

"That's the real focus of the Republicans. They really want to slow down the growth of Medicaid nationally and decrease how much money has to go into that program," said Chad Terhune, a senior correspondent for California Health line and Kaiser Health News to California Health line.

Nearly four million enrollees were added to the Medi-Cal program under the Obamacare expansion in 2014. California could also face cuts to Medi-Cal from a House plan for per-capital funding.

Without the individual mandate for health insurance and with a lapse in coverage, individuals could face a 30 percent surcharge in premiums, reported California Health line.

The premium subsidies that 1.2 million Californians receive for coverage purchase via Covered California would change, effectively outing lower-income and elderly individuals by providing them less federal assistance.

A study released March 14, a day after the Congressional Budget Office found that 14 million people would lose coverage in the first year of the GOP proposal, estimated that tens of thousands of elderly, low-income Californians could be left without coverage.

The White House has disputed the CBO's projections of coverage losses, but has highlighted that the GOP bill would save $337 billion over a decade, using tax credits to help consumers buy coverage, phase out expansions, end some Obamacare requirements and withdraw a number of taxes, reported the Associated Press.

Age would be the primary factor in the GOP plan for financial assistance. Age, income, family size and location are factored into current law.

For example, as stated in the report, a 62-year-old in Los Angeles could have their premiums jump $70 to $275 per month, while that same person (earning $30,000 in a lower-tier plan) would see that premium jump $460 to $668 per month under the new bill.

"For older Californians, the effect of the proposed tax credit structure is a dramatic increase in the out-of-pocket costs for coverage, meaning they are likely to drop coverage," the analysis by Covered California stated.