BUDGET/HEALTHCARE/OBAMACARE(ACA): “If Senate Republicans vote to repeal Obamacare before the end of the month, they’ll be flying blind — not knowing the impact their plan will have on insurance coverage or premium costs, budget scorekeepers said Monday [9-18-17].
The Congressional Budget Office will only have a bare-bones assessment of the latest GOP bill ready before Sept. 30, the deadline for Senate Republicans to pass health care legislation on a party-line vote.
The CBO analysis, which the agency aims to release early next week, will include some basic budgetary estimates required by reconciliation rules. But it will not have details about the practical implications of the bill, including how many people could lose coverage and the impact on insurance premiums. Those estimates will not be available ‘for at least several weeks,’ CBO said…
Alternatively, without a CBO report, Senate Republicans may be spared damaging headlines if CBO found the bill could cause millions more to be uninsured or fuel significantly higher costs for older enrollees…
Republicans have until Sept. 30 to pass an Obamacare repeal using only party-line support under the fast-track process known as reconciliation. Senate GOP leaders are mulling bringing the Graham-Cassidy bill up for a vote next week, if they can get support within the conference. They have even enlisted President Donald Trump to help round up the 50 votes needed for passage.”
-Heather Caygle, “Obamacare repeal plan won’t get full CBO analysis by key deadline,” Politico, Sept. 18, 2017 04:25pm