Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Repeal-Only Bill's Estimated Impact: 32 Million More Uninsured, 25 Percent Premium Spikes
USA Today: CBO: Obamacare Repeal Plan Would Increased Number Of Uninsured By 32 Million
A bill the Senate plans to vote on next week to repeal parts of Obamacare without a replacement would make the insurance market unstable, raise premiums and increase by 32 million the number of uninsured people, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. While repealing billions of dollars in taxes imposed under Obamacare to pay for expanding health coverage to millions more Americans, the legislation would still decrease deficits by $473 billion over 10 years because of the spending reductions. (Groppe, 7/19)
Politico: Senate 'Repeal Only' Bill Would Leave 32 Million More Uninsured, CBO Says
The nonpartisan scorekeeper’s report projects that 17 million people would lose insurance in the first year after a partial repeal that includes ending Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and repealing most of the taxes tied to the law. Premiums would jump 25 percent over that same period as insurers grapple with the effective elimination of Obamacare’s requirement that everyone purchase coverage. (Cancryn, 7/19)
The Washington Post: Senate’s Latest ACA Repeal Strategy Would Leave 10 Million More Uninsured Than Its Last Bill, CBO Says
The analysis also estimates that premiums for individual policies would rise by 25 percent next year if the number of people buying such policies plummets and concentrates sicker people in that insurance pool. (Goldstein, 7/19)
The CT Mirror: CBO: Obamacare Repeal Bill Would Result In 32 Million Additional Uninsured
One reason premiums would sharply increase is that the legislation – which would voted on in the Senate under a process known as reconciliation – is unable to repeal certain ACA provisions that do not have a budgetary impact, the CBO said. So the “repeal” bill would leave some ACA mandates in place. (Radelat, 7/19)
Modern Healthcare: CBO: 32 Million To Lose Their Health Coverage By 2026 Under Repeal-And-Replace Bill
The repeal-and-delay bill cuts less out of Medicaid than BCRA because while it ends the enhanced match for Medicaid expansion—which led to 12 million people getting coverage—it does not change the financing to Medicaid for the children, disabled adults, parents of young children and elderly people on the program. The enhanced match would only last in 2019 and 2020. The six-percentage-point increase for home health care waiver activities would also disappear at the beginning of 2020. (Lee, 7/19)
The Wall Street Journal: CBO Says ACA Repeal Would Add 32 Million Uninsured By 2026, Lower Deficit By $473 Billion
The CBO report examines the effect of repealing most of the health law without a replacement system in place. Mr. McConnell has called for a vote early next week on a motion that would allow such a repeal bill to be debated, a tactic he and Mr. Trump pursued after at least four Republican Senators said they couldn’t support moving forward on a Senate bill that sought to repeal and replace much of the law, also known as Obamacare, at the same time. (Armour, 7/19)
CQ Roll Call: CBO: Obamacare Repeal Would Leave 32 Million More Uninsured
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate would consider the measure if the chamber clears a procedural vote early next week to advance to debate on the House-passed health care bill (HR 1628). The measure would effectively repeal the law’s individual and employer mandates by retroactively making the associated penalties zero.The measure would repeal the optional Medicaid expansion beginning in 2020. Also beginning in 2020, it would repeal the law’s subsidies for insurance purchased on the individual exchanges. (McIntire, 7/19)
The Hill: CBO: ObamaCare Repeal Without Replace Would Cost 32 Million Insurance
The unfavorable score of the repeal-only bill could help jumpstart discussions about returning to the repeal-and-replace legislation. A previous CBO score of the Senate’s repeal-and-replace bill estimated that 22 million people would lose insurance over the next decade. (Weixel, 7/19)
Bloomberg: GOP's Obamacare Repeal Cut Insured By 32 Million, CBO Says
The administration dismissed the CBO analysis, saying its methodology is flawed. “This score fails to take into account the president’s full plan, which includes a replacement for Obamacare and administrative actions to reduce costs and expand access to quality, affordable care,” the White House said in a statement. (Edney and Tracer, 7/19)
NPR: Republicans Scramble For A Health Care Endgame Strategy
The CBO estimates that legislation that repeals key pillars of the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare") would trim $473 billion off the federal deficit, but result in 32 million fewer insured Americans in the next decade. It would also see premiums rise, and likely force private insurers to abandon the individual market. And nearly every Republican has already voted for it. (Davis, 7/19)
Kaiser Health News: Read CBO Score Of Repeal-Only Bill
On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released its estimates on an amendment to H.R. 1628 that would repeal the Affordable Care Act outright. (7/19)
