Here are four takeaways:
1. Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, told Los Angeles Times the state could continue running Covered California, but it would prove expensive. His research estimates California receives about $20 billion each year from the federal government to subsidize consumers purchasing policies on the exchange as well as pay for those on Medi-Cal.
2. Walter Zelman, chair of Cal State L.A.’s public health department, told the newspaper that California could pass a law in the same vein as the ACA, mandating all residents to buy insurance. However, maintaining the exchange would result in a tax increase.
3. In 2015, California’s uninsured rate decreased to 8.1 percent, according to the CDC. If the ACA no longer exists, The Urban Institute projects about 7.5 million Californians will be uninsured in 2021, which is double the amount of uninsured if the ACA remained intact.
4. A full ACA repeal doesn’t seem likely, though, according to experts. President-elect Trump said he even liked the insurance mandate, during his campaign.
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