The Congressional Budget Office bomb has gone off. Here's what it says about the House Republican Obamacare replacement plan:
- Coverage: 24 million fewer than Obamacare in 10 years (14 million in 2018)
- Savings: $337 billion in deficit reduction over 10 years
- Premiums: 15 to 20 percent higher in 2018-19; 10 percent lower in 10 years
What it means: It's not a surprise that CBO predicted people would lose coverage — most health care experts predicted it, and Republicans have been prepared for it. They've insisted they're not trying to compete with Obamacare, which required people to buy coverage. But today's estimates are worse than expected — the Brookings Institution predicted the number losing coverage would be 15 million over 10 years.