Apples-To-Oranges Comparison Makes Cruz Amendment Seem Enticing, But Facts Don’t Back It Up

Politico: Cruz Amendment Would Drive Down Premiums, HHS Says
A Health and Human Services analysis of Sen. Ted Cruz's proposal to let insurers sell plans that don't comply with Obamacare regulations appears to back up the Texas Republican's claim that the idea would lower premiums across the individual insurance market. But the internal report relies heavily on a so-called proprietary model that offers little insight into its calculations, raising immediate concerns about how the agency came to its conclusions. (Cancryn, 7/19)

Kaiser Health News: Cruz Plan Gets Thumbs Up From HHS But Thumbs Down From Most Everyone Else
Contradicting the opinion of most policy experts, a draft report from the Trump administration forecasts better enrollment and lower premiums for everyone who buys their own health insurance if a controversial amendment proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas were to become law. The draft surfaced just as Republican senators were lunching with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to talk about the next steps in the health care debate. (Appleby and Rovner, 7/19)

Bloomberg: Trump Touts Cruz Plan In Push To Revive Stalled Health Repeal 
The Trump administration pressed its case to revive the Senate’s stalled health overhaul using a rosy estimate of the effects of an amendment offered by Texas Senator Ted Cruz designed to win over wary conservatives. The estimate said Cruz’s proposed amendment to the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act would offer consumers cheaper plans and result in more people buying health insurance than under the status quo, according to a Department of Health & Human Services document obtained by the Washington Examiner. The plans would come with extremely high deductibles, according to the analysis, and might not cover some basic services. (Tracer, 7/19)