Red states would be disproportionately affected by the Republican health-care bill

by Philip Bump

House Republicans appear poised to approve the American Health Care Act, a bill that promises to overhaul Obamacare substantially with uncertain long-term effects.One effect that we can predict, however, is that the brunt of the negative aspects of the bill — higher premium costs, weakened insurance plans for those with preexisting conditions and decreases in coverage — will be borne heavily by states that voted for Donald Trump, the president who would sign it into law.There’s no real difference between red and blue states in terms of who is enrolled in the insurance marketplaces established under the Affordable Care Act (that is, Obamacare). The highest percentage of the population that’s enrolled is in Florida, one of the purplest states around. (The data here are from the Kaiser Family Foundation.)