Bill To Fix Health Law Wouldn’t Offset Coverage Losses If Mandate Is Repealed, CBO Estimates
The Congressional Budget Offices estimates that 4 million Americans would lose insurance coverage in 2019 if Congress repeals the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate as part of its tax legislation. The nonpartisan agency says that passing the Alexander-Murray bill, aimed at stabilizing the health law marketplaces, would not soften that blow.
Bloomberg:
Stabilization Bill Couldn’t Fix The Damage Of Repealing Obamacare’s Mandate
Passing a bipartisan Obamacare stabilization bill wouldn’t do much to cushion the blow from repealing the health law’s requirement that all individuals buy health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office said. The CBO has estimated that scrapping the mandate would result in 4 million people losing health coverage in 2019 and premiums in the individual market to increase by 10 percent. On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Congressional agency said a stabilization proposal backed by some Republican Senators would have no impact on its calculations. (Tracer, 11/29)
The Hill:
CBO: ObamaCare Fix Would Not Make Up For Mandate Repeal
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that a bipartisan ObamaCare fix would not do much to make up for the premium increases or coverage losses from repealing the health-care law’s individual mandate. In a letter to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) on Wednesday, CBO Director Keith Hall wrote that the estimate of premiums rising 10 percent and 13 million fewer people with coverage over 10 years would remain roughly the same even if the bipartisan fix from Murray and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) were added in. (Sullivan, 11/29)
Roll Call:
CBO: Insurance Market Stabilization Impact Null If Mandate Repealed
Legislation from the duo at the helm of the Senate health panel would do little to improve the number of uninsured individuals if the mandate created by the 2010 health law is repealed, according to the Congressional Budget Office. A repeal of the mandate — which requires individuals to purchase insurance or pay a yearly fine — is currently included in the GOP bill to overhaul the U.S. tax code. Some Republican senators, like Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have cited the legislation from Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chairman Lamar Alexander and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the panel’s top Democrat, as a necessary measure should the mandate be repealed. (Williams, 11/29)
CQ:
CBO: Bipartisan Health Deal Would Not Mitigate Mandate Repeal
A bipartisan Senate bill aimed at stabilizing the individual insurance market would not have a significant effect on the projected impact of scrapping the current penalty for not having health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office said on Wednesday. Senate Republicans have included a repeal of the requirement for most Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a fine in tax legislation they hope to pass by the end of the week. The nonpartisan analysts projected that would result in an additional 13 million uninsured people after a decade and that average premiums would increase 10 percent. (McIntire, 11/29)
The Fiscal Times:
CBO Says Alexander-Murray Obamacare Fix Isn’t Much Of A Fix
The Congressional Budget Office says that the bipartisan bill by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) meant to stabilize the insurance market would do little to counteract the premium increases and coverage losses caused by repealing Obamacare’s mandate requiring individuals to buy insurance or pay a penalty. (Rosenberg, 11/29)
POLITICO Pro:
Alexander Says His ACA Subsidy Bill Would Prevent Premium Price Spike
Senate HELP Chairman Lamar Alexander said his bipartisan health bill would prevent a health insurance premium spike of 25 percent, disputing a CBO report issued today that said enacting his bill while repealing the individual mandate would result in a net 10 percent increase in premiums. (Haberkorn, 11/29)
