GOP/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “The number of people without health insurance would rise by 22 million in a decade if a revised Senate Republican bill replaced large parts of the Affordable Care Act, while federal deficits would be cut by $420 billion, according to a report Thursday [7-20-17] from the Congressional Budget Office.
The impact of the new report is uncertain, however, as the CBO didn’t include a full analysis of an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) that would allow for cheaper but more bare-bones insurance plans because that analysis requires more time.
The new CBO analysis shows the bill wouldn’t change the number of people without coverage compared with projections released in June on an earlier version of the GOP legislation.
That earlier number spurred a revolt from some centrist GOP senators who said they couldn’t support the bill because it caused too many people to lose coverage. In the new report, the deficit-reduction figure is about $100 billion more than the earlier reading.
In Thursday’s report, the CBO said the projected decline of 22 million people covered under the Senate bill includes a drop of 15 million people on Medicaid. In addition, the decline includes five million people who wouldn’t have individual coverage, and two million who wouldn’t have employment-based coverage, partly due to the removal of ACA requirements that individuals get coverage or pay a fine, and that most employers offer health plans.”
-Stephanie Armour, “CBO Says Revised Senate Plan Would Increase Uninsured by 22 Million,” The Wall Street Journal online, July 20, 2017 03:12pm