March 13, 2017

24 million

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office just did the math on the proposed bill to "replace" the Affordable Care Act. The short version: 24 million more uninsured Americans over 10 years.

From the NPR report:

Just over 28 million Americans were uninsured in the first half of 2016, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. The CBO estimates that in 2026, that number would remain barely-changed under current law — there would likewise be 28 million uninsured Americans if the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, remained in place. 
However, 52 million would be uninsured under the American Health Care Act, which is the first step in the Republican repeal-and-replace plan.

Some of that would come from eliminating the individual mandate. However:

...a big chunk of that increase in the uninsured comes from Medicaid, as the Republican bill rolls back the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion. In 2026, 14 million fewer people would be enrolled in Medicaid under the GOP health care bill, accounting for half the total increase in uninsured.

CBO also estimates the Republican bill would cut the number of employers who cover workers by eliminating the employer mandate.

Any way you cut it, this would be a disaster for West Virginia and millions of people across the country.

But don't worry, rich folks and drug companies will get a huge tax cut. That's all that matters, right?


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