Senate Healthcare Bill Would Leave 22 Million More People Uninsured by 2026
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that, under the Senate's proposed healthcare bill known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act, 22 million fewer Americans will be covered by the year 2026.
The CBO's previous estimation of the House version of health coverage is larger by only a slight margin; 23 million Americans would be uninsured under the House plan.
Congressional leaders have made the repealing and replacing of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act a top priority.
President Donald Trump admitted to calling the House proposal of healthcare "mean" and said he wanted the Senate version to have more "heart."
By next year, the CBO approximates that a staggering 15 million Americans will have no health insurance.
The American Cancer Society, Cancer Action Network, and the March of Dimes are just a handful of patient and consumer organizations pushing congressional leaders to vote against the GOP healthcare bill.
Hoping to achieve a dramatic reduction in spending, the CBO reports that the Senate bill would cut the national deficit by $321 billion over the next ten years.
Moreover, the bill would, according to the CBO, eliminate $772 billion from Medicaid, the savings of which would go to those in high-income tax brackets.
Republicans eligible for re-election next year have already expressed strong concerns about the large number of Americans who stand to lose health coverage under the Senate's proposal.