Raleigh News & Observer: Senate Obamacare repeal bill would leave 22 million more without health insurance
The Congressional Budget Office released a document on Monday stating that under the Senate’s Trumpcare plan 22 million Americans will lose health coverage. Trumpcare mainly targets older people and those with pre-existing conditions, increasing their premiums significantly while giving tax breaks to the top 0.1%.
Like the AHCA, the Senate legislation would cut subsidies that help purchase marketplace insurance, phase out the Medicaid expansion and slash funding for Medicaid by $772 billion over ten years, compared to $834 billion in the House legislation.
The Senate legislation also would abolish most of the taxes that funded the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansion. Most of the lost tax revenue would fund tax breaks that disproportionately benefit wealthy individuals.
The bill also would make coverage more expensive for older people and those with pre-existing medical conditions.
Ten patient and provider advocacy groups, including the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes and United Way Worldwide, sent letters to all 50 state governors asking them to contact their senators and state representatives about the bill’s “potentially devastating consequences.”
The American Medical Association gave their thumbs-down to the legislation on Monday, as well, saying the bill violates a basic tenet of medicine: “first, do no harm.” The draft legislation “violates that standard on many levels” said Dr. James L. Madara, CEO of the American Medical Association, in a Monday letter to Senate leaders.
