Thousands of US citizens in the Bay State area of Massachusetts stand to lose their health insurance if the American Health Care Act becomes law , with many others due to see an increase in out - of - pocket costs . The poor and the elderly are at risk of losing vital support , with elderly Americans already receiving coverage by Medicare for the latter stages of their lives . Nursing home care and full - time home assistance is currently not covered by the insurance , despite a 40 % chance of a person over the age of 65 entering a home and the costs of living in a home being between $ 80,000 and $ 90,000 on average . Medicaid currently covers those costs , with 60 % of nursing home residents using the insurance to cover costs . However , if $ 834bn is cut from Medicaid with the passing of the new Act , many citizens will be left with sky - high costs . Seniors currently represent 21 % of all Medicaid expenses , despite only representing 9 % of beneficiaries . In the Bay State , there will be a 17 % increase in those aged over 85 by 2035 , making the proposed changes potentially disastrous . Massachusetts ’ solution could be to raise taxes to almost 6 % to accommodate the lack of federal funding , but the costs could reach the billions . More generally, states offer all manner of optional and additional services for the elderly. The state could also cut down on spending , but these changes could make it even more difficult for elderly residents to access long - term care and nursing home provisions . The threshold for Medicaid could be pushed lower , making the limit essentially the poverty line only . The effects of this type of decision , however , could be catastrophic , as elderly citizens form a powerful voting class that could sway political decisions in future .
Thousands of US citizens in the Bay State area of Massachusetts stand to lose their health insurance if the American Health Care Act becomes law , with many others due to see an increase in out - of - pocket costs . The poor and the elderly are at risk of losing vital support , with elderly Americans already receiving coverage by Medicare for the latter stages of their lives . Nursing home care and full - time home assistance is currently not covered by the insurance , despite a 40 % chance of a person over the age of 65 entering a home and the costs of living in a home being between $ 80,000 and $ 90,000 on average . Medicaid currently covers those costs , with 60 % of nursing home residents using the insurance to cover costs . However , if $ 834bn is cut from Medicaid with the passing of the new Act , many citizens will be left with sky - high costs . Seniors currently represent 21 % of all Medicaid expenses , despite only representing 9 % of beneficiaries . In the Bay State , there will be a 17 % increase in those aged over 85 by 2035 , making the proposed changes potentially disastrous . Massachusetts ’ solution could be to raise taxes to almost 6 % to accommodate the lack of federal funding , but the costs could reach the billions . The state could also cut down on spending , but these changes could make it even more difficult for elderly residents to access long - term care and nursing home provisions . The threshold for Medicaid could be pushed lower , making the limit essentially the poverty line only . The effects of this type of decision , however , could be catastrophic , as elderly citizens form a powerful voting class that could sway political decisions in future .