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CBO on Republican Health Plan: 24 Million to Lose Health Insurance

HeadlineMar 14, 2017

Twenty-four million people would lose health insurance within 10 years under a plan by House Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. That was the conclusion of the Congressional Budget Office in a highly anticipated report released Monday. The CBO estimates the legislation would shave about a third of a trillion dollars from budget deficits by 2026, after combining the end of a program to expand Medicaid with tax cuts that strongly favor the wealthiest Americans. Republican lawmakers and the Trump administration quickly dismissed the findings. This is Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

Dr. Tom Price: “We disagree strenuously with—with the report that was put out. We believe that our plan will cover more individuals at a lower cost and give them the choices that they want for the coverage that they want for themselves and for their family, not that the government forces them to buy.”

Democrats seized on the CBO’s findings to argue against repealing the Affordable Care Act. This is House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi: “This is a remarkable figure. It speaks so eloquently to the cruelty of the bill that the speaker calls an 'act of mercy'. … OK, so they’re taking 24 million people, pushing them off their coverage. And as they do so, they are implementing the biggest transfer of wealth in our history: $600 billion going from working families to the richest people and corporations in our country.”

The House plan to repeal and replace Obamacare will meet its biggest challenge so far on Thursday, when it’s up for consideration in the House Budget Committee. At least seven Republican members of the committee have said they feel the legislation doesn’t go far enough toward repealing Obamacare.

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