If Obamacare is repealed, it could leave millions of people without health insurance, and people who have no health insurance at all could be at an greater disadvantage.
Lawmakers are still trying to piece together a new healthcare system, but funding cuts may be a factor. This means people may end up with less health care options here in Central Texas.
Bell County health officials said if the funding through Obamacare is cut, it could prevent people from getting access to a primary care physicians. They added that hundreds of thousands of people could lose heath care coverage all together.
Bell County health officials added that if people lack health insurance, they might have to go to safety net providers like local health department clinics. This could potentially lead to problems for people seeking care for chronic conditions and even getting preventative care.
Director of Bell County Public Health District Amanda Robinson-Chad said people without healthcare aren't the only patients who will pay the price.
“We provide birth control, family planning services, S-T-D testing, tuberculosis testing. If we have a limited availability of services already and we see public health funding cuts that’s going to affect whether we can be helpful to people if they lose their insurance,” Robinson said.
Organizers said about $1,000,000,000 in federal funding is provided to the states for public health care and the services they provide. But if those funds are cut, those services will likely be lost to those who currently benefit from them and those who might need services in the future.
The state of Texas has over one million people enrolled in Obamacare, and the Kaiser family foundation has estimated about 8,500 of those people are in Bell County.
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