The Congressional Budget Office has delivered some extremely bad news to Senate GOP leaders. Under their health care bill, an estimated 22 million fewer people would have health insurance than under the status quo — almost as big a drop as the House bill.
CBO's projections will make it much harder for Republicans to pass a bill this week — if at all.
- Coverage: Over the next 10 years, 22 million fewer people would have health insurance under the GOP bill than under the status quo. The House bill would cover 23 million fewer people, per CBO.
- Premiums: They'd increase for the next two years, but would ultimately be about 20% lower than under current law.
- Deductibles: An average plan would carry an annual deductible of about $6,000, comparable to some of the least generous plans offered today.
- Federal spending: The bill would save the federal government $321 billion over the next 10 years — largely thanks to Medicaid cuts that CBO says would add up to $772 billion over the next decade.