1 million Washingtonians could lose health coverage if Obamacare goes

State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler estimates one million people in Washington have received health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare.

He told KUOW's Ross Reynolds that without a plan in place from Republicans in Congress, those people could all lose insurance if Obamacare is repealed.

“If they eliminate the expansion of the Medicaid program and eliminate the subsidies, you’re virtually going to wipe out all of those people," he said, "because they're effectively going to be turning back the clock to what we had before the Affordable Care Act."

Kreidler says as word gets out about the changes, his office has been fielding a lot of phone calls.

He says the most surprising thing has been discovering how many people aren't aware that they're benefiting from Obamacare.

"I heard a woman complaining that the Affordable Care act forced her son off (insurance) because he had a birthday after age 26, but didn't realize it was the Affordable Care Act that had allowed him up to the age of 26 to stay on her policy," Kreidler said. "So there's a lot of confusion out there."

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