Engel Responds to Congressional Budget Office Analysis of Republican Health Care Billh Care Bill

Congress’s Independent Scorekeeper: GOP bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act Will Take Insurance Coverage from 14 Million Americans by 2018

   Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement regarding the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) analysis of Republicans’ bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“When the Energy and Commerce Committee considered Republicans’ health care bill last week, I said that my GOP colleagues’ behavior suggested that they have something to hide. The Congressional Budget Office has now revealed exactly what the GOP was hiding.

“According to CBO, the GOP bill to repeal the ACA will take insurance coverage away from 14 million Americans by 2018. Not a few Americans, not some—millions. That number will grow to 21 million in 2020, and 24 million in 2026.

“This estimate – while staggering – is not unexpected, given the policies included in the Republican bill.

“Their proposal radically structures the Medicaid program in a way that will force states to ration care, including care for children. In addition, their bill terminates the ACA’s expansion of Medicaid, which allowed more than 12 million Americans to gain health coverage. The GOP bill also eliminates the ACA’s premium tax credits that millions rely on to pay for health coverage, in exchange for an inadequate flat tax credit that leaves working families totally exposed to premium increases.

“Families who do not lose coverage altogether under the GOP plan will have fewer protections, including those that safeguard seniors and people with pre-existing conditions against discrimination. Indeed, CBO notes in its readout that the GOP bill would allow insurers to ‘substantially’ increase premiums for older Americans.

“In short – under the Republican plan, Americans will be paying more and getting less.

“The White House promised a plan that would bring ‘better health care, for more people, at a lesser cost.’ It is clear why the GOP pushed this bill through two House committees prior to the release of this CBO analysis: they can no longer claim with any credibility that their plan achieves these goals.”