The Senate’s healthcare bill to partially repeal and replace Obamacare would result in 22 million more people becoming uninsured and a deficit reduction of $420 billion by 2026, according to a report released Thursday by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation.
The uninsurance numbers are the same as a previous estimate, published June 26, but spending would be $120 billion higher than in an earlier draft of the bill. That means Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has an additional $300 billion to spend to try to lure holdouts who oppose the bill. Some senators were waiting to see the score before determining whether they would support or oppose the legislation.
The bill being evaluated is formally known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act and would undo Obamacare’s employer and individual mandate and change the structure of Obamacare so that people receive tax credits for private insurance. It would roll back Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and change the way that states receive federal funding for the program, to a fixed amount rather than a matched amount that changes every year. Over the long term, it would cut the rate of growth on Medicaid spending to match economic inflation rather than the higher medical inflation.
Changes from a previous draft include keeping many of Obamacare’s taxes, which contributed to the additional funds that Republicans can spend on other programs. The latest draft also includes more provisions for people to begin using health savings accounts.
The score does not include an analysis of an amendment advanced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, which would allow insurers to sell plans with fewer medical provisions as long as they offer one plan that meets the full range of consumer protections required under Obamacare.
