Republican health plan takes hit as 22 million could lose coverage
WASHINGTON: Senate Republicans struggling to boost support for their ‘ Obamacare’ repeal bill were dealt a damaging blow Monday with the release of a non-partisan report forecasting that the plan would leave 22 million more Americans uninsured by 2026.
The legislation introduced last week by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was already in jeopardy, with support for the health care plan stalling within his own party despite expressions of optimism by President Donald Trump.
As Democrats have united in opposition to the draft, Republican leaders have struggled to rally enough support from within their ranks to get the bill over the line.
McConnell has said he wants to accomplish that by Friday, before a short July 4 recess for lawmakers, even though some in the party have balked at the short timeline.
The report by the Congressional Budget Office will no doubt sow deeper concerns about the viability of the legislation, which is aimed at fulfilling Trump’s pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the landmark reform of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.
“The Senate bill would increase the number of people who are uninsured by 22 million in 2026 relative to the number under current law,” CBO said in its highly anticipated report.
The estimated increase in the number of uninsured under the bill that passed the House of Representatives last month was 23 million.
According to CBO, the Senate legislation would also slash federal spending by some US$ 321 billion over the 2017-2026 period, a net savings of US$ 202 billion over the House measure. — AFP