This past weekend, Health Secretary Tom Price made the outlandish claim that “nobody will be worse off financially” after the Obamacare repeal. Some folks realized that couldn’t possibly be true, but Monday’s Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the GOP Trumpcare bill produced some truly startling numbers, and as it turns out, the White House’s own analysis of the bill presents an even worse look. Politico reportedly caught a glimpse of the internal analysis, and it’s kinda clear why Donald Trump sent Kellyanne Conway out to try and resist the Trumpcare label.
The CBO report data (coming from a nonpartisan entity) was awful, with 14 million projected to lose healthcare coverage by 2018 and a total of 24 million by 2026. The White House’s internal dive showed a staggering 26 million Americans projected to lose their health insurance by 2026. Not good:
The executive branch analysis forecast that 26 million people would lose coverage over the next decade, versus the 24 million CBO estimate — a finding that undermines White House efforts to discredit the forecasts from the nonpartisan CBO.
The analysis found that under the American Health Care Act the coverage losses would include 17 million for Medicaid, six million in the individual market and three million in employer-based plans. A total of 54 million individuals would be uninsured in 2026 under the GOP plan, according to the White House analysis. That’s nearly double the number projected under current law.
The White House has yet to comment on Politico’s report, but earlier today, Price swiftly slammed the CBO: “We disagree strenuously with the report that was put out.” However, Price didn’t specify who “we” might be, and considering how Trump doesn’t want his name on this thing, wellllll.
Perhaps Price was talking about House Speaker Paul Ryan? He seemed very happy/confused upon seeing the CBO report and then raved to Fox News about how it “exceeded my expectations.” So, was he expecting 50 million people to lose health coverage, and roughly half that amount was … good?
(Via Politico & New York Times)