Without Including Cruz Amendment, CBO Report Paints Incomplete Picture Of Plan’s Impact
The numbers projected by the Congressional Budget Office -- such as that 22 million Americans will lose coverage under the plan -- haven't changed much since June. But many say that without including the amendment that would allow insurers to sell cheaper plans, it doesn't capture the full effects of the legislation.
Reuters:
Latest Senate Healthcare Bill Would Leave 22 Million Without Insurance: CBO
The latest version of Senate Republicans' legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act would leave 22 million Americans without health insurance coverage by 2026, the U.S. Congressional Budget office said on Thursday. (Alexander, 7/20)
The Associated Press:
Budget Office: GOP Health Bill Adds 22 Million Uninsured
The reworked bill would increase average premiums over the next two years, but reduce them starting in 2020 by 30 percent, the report estimated. But the policies would typically offer less coverage. And because the GOP measure would also eliminate federal subsidies that let insurers lower out-of-pocket costs for low-earners, the changes “would contribute significantly to a decrease in the number of lower-income people with coverage,” the budget office said. (Fram and Werner, 7/20)
Bloomberg:
CBO Says Senate Health Bill Would Boost Uninsured By 22 Million
The Senate Republican health bill promises lower premiums for consumers. To get there, it would require patients in standard plans to spend as much as about $13,000 upfront on their own care. The deductibles would be so high, in fact, that they’d violate maximums set in U.S. law, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Thursday. Under Obamacare, by comparison, an individual in a standard plan would have a deductible of roughly $5,000. (Tracer and Edney, 7/20)
Los Angeles Times:
Revised GOP Healthcare Bill Would Still Leave Millions Without Insurance, New Report Concludes
And it would increase costs for millions of sick and elderly Americans, the budget office estimates. Those costs could soar even further under another provision of the bill that would allow insurers to offer slimmed-down health plans that don’t offer the basic set of health benefits — including prescription drugs, maternity care and mental health services — currently mandated by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. (Levey, 7/20)
The Washington Post:
Revised Version Of Withdrawn Health-Care Bill Would Still Leave 22 Million More Americans Uninsured, CBO Says
Compared with earlier versions, it would give more money to states to help pay for insurance for high-cost patients and would preserve some Affordable Care Act taxes. It would still eliminate the law’s requirement that most Americans carry health insurance, phase out the law’s expansion of Medicaid and transform the rest of Medicaid funding. According to Congress’s nonpartisan budget scorekeepers, this version would have a greater impact on lowering the federal deficit — a $420 billion reduction between next year and 2026, compared with $321 billion under the previous form of the bill. The change is largely because the new plan would keep more Affordable Care Act taxes. (Goldstein, 7/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
CBO Says Revised Senate Plan Would Increase Uninsured By 22 Million
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. (Armour, 7/20)