GOP's health plan could cost older, rural NC residents thousands each year

RALEIGH, N.C. — The American Health Care Act, the Republican's plan to replace former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, could cost older Americans thousands of dollars more each year, according to health care experts.

Dr. Jonathan Oberlander, a professor of social medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, said different age groups and income brackets will be affected differently.

The demographic that will be hit hardest by this new plan, Oberlander said, are low-income people between ages 55 and 64 who live in rural areas.

In Wayne County, the GOP's replacement could cost people $11,000 more per year:

–Tax Credit (subsidy) Under Obamacare in 2020: $15,210

–Tax Credit Under GOP Plan in 2020: $4,000

Oberlander said the reason rural areas are hit harder is because the tax credit under Obamacare is based on the cost of insurance in that area—the cost of insurance is typically higher in rural areas.

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http://www.wral.com/gop-s-health-plan-could-cost-older-rural-nc-residents-thousands-each-year/16585326/