According to a congressional report published on June 26, some 22 million Americans could lose their health insurance over the next decade under a Senate bill to replace ObamaCare.
The non-partisan Congressional Budgetary Office (CBO) said the bill would reduce the budget deficit.
Similar legislation passed by the House was also said to leave millions uninsured. Some Republicans have voiced reservations about the plan.
However, the White House disputed the CBO’s figures.
Image source Wikimedia
Responding to the report, it said: “The CBO has consistently proven it cannot accurately predict how healthcare legislation will impact insurance coverage.”
The report is a review of draft legislation unveiled by the Republican Party last week.
It is unlikely to be approved by Democrats, who see the proposals as cruel and unfair.
The CBO said that 15 million more people would be uninsured by 2018 under the proposed legislation than under current law, largely because the penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated.
President Donald Trump’s party is struggling to secure the 50 votes it needs to get its bill through the Senate when it comes to the floor.
The Senate bill would slash taxes for the wealthy offering less help for working families to buy medical insurance.
Republicans have rejected the notion that anyone will die as a result of their healthcare plan.
However, several key Republicans this week reversed course, partly due to an amendment by Congressman Fred Upton to provide $8 billion over five years towards coverage for sick people.
Image source Wikimedia
But Democrats said the amount was woefully inadequate.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said: “The Upton amendment is like administering cough medicine to someone with stage four cancer.”
Members of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of ultraconservative lawmakers, indicated the Upton amendment would not be a deal-breaker for them.
In March, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said 24 million people would lose health insurance under the bill, which is called the American Health Care Act.
Conservatives want to see a complete rollback of ObamaCare, while moderates are concerned about losing voters who like the existing law.
President Barack Obama’s overhaul of healthcare extended insurance coverage to millions of Americans, but some have experienced rising premiums in recent years.
One of ObamaCare’s popular elements is that it bans insurers from denying coverage to patients who are ill with “pre-existing conditions”.
President Donald Trump has insisted the revised bill will keep that, although it is thought that states will be able to opt out of making that an absolute provision.
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