GOP Undeterred by 23 Million Losing Health Insurance

Republicans are undeterred by the CBO’s projection last night that 23 million Americans would lose their health insurance under Trumpcare. Despite projections on massive losses in coverage and skyrocketing costs, Congressional Republicans and the Trump administration continue to defend this cruel piece of legislation.

GOP leadership completely ignored the CBO’s projections on coverage losses and skyrocketing costs for millions of Americans as they touted the AHCA.

Speaker Paul Ryan said “This CBO report again confirms that the American Health Care Act achieves our mission: lowering premiums and lowering the deficit. It is another positive step toward keeping our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare.”

Leader Kevin McCarthy said “The CBO reports yet again that our plan will keep a promise Obamacare broke—premiums will go down. Congress must act so that people across the country can pay less for health care coverage and finally get relief from a failing law.”

Rep. Kevin Brady: “‘The CBO confirmed the American Health Care Act will further lower premiums, deliver more immediate tax relief for individuals and families, and decrease the deficit,’ said Rep. Kevin Brady, R.-Texas, the chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee.”

Rep. Greg Walden said “CBO continues to find that through our patient-focused bill, premiums will go down and that our reforms will help stabilize the market,’ said chairmen Walden and Burgess. ‘Our plan puts states and patients in the driver’s seat, creating an innovative fund to help lower premiums and other out-of-pocket costs.”

Rep. Carlos Curbelo: “Take Rep. Carlos Curbelo of Florida, who sits in an extremely vulnerable seat in 2018 — he called the new CBO score a ‘moderate improvement’ and said he hopes the progress continues in the Senate.”

Numerous other Republicans were entirely dismissive of the CBO score as they continued to throw their support behind this disastrous health bill.

Rep. Tom MacArthur: “Others, like Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), who was a primary negotiator in getting AHCA through the House, also downplayed the CBO score, noting that CBO personnel are ‘not prophets.’ ‘They’re trying to answer questions that I think it would be better where they say “I don’t know,”’ MacArthur said.”

Rep. Steve Scalise: “Despite worried reports from last week, the House of Representatives likely won't re-vote on the American Health Care Act after the Congressional Budget Office scores the bill Wednesday evening, Scalise separately suggested that he was prepared to ‘debunk’ whatever score came out of the CBO on Wednesday.”

Rep. Pete Sessions: “Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), who wrote his own health care bill (titled ‘The World's Greatest Health Care Plan’) and has said he strongly opposes undermining preexisting conditions protections, argued the CBO's analysis of the mandate waiver option could be misguided … ‘I need to look at [CBO's] detail,’ he said. ‘The unprofessional evaluation that I put in my mind was I did not believe any state — based upon the conditions that would be required for them to go — would be accepting that challenge. So, evidently, the CBO felt like someone would, so I really need to go look at it.’”

The White House and Tom Price – who hand-picked the current CBO director – both said the CBO’s score was wrong.

The White House: “The Trump administration responded by saying it believes the CBO's numbers are unreliable. ‘History has proven the CBO to be totally incapable of accurately predicting how healthcare legislation will impact health insurance coverage,’ the White House said in a statement.”

Sec. Tom Price: Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price on Wednesday tried to undermine the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that 23 million people will lose insurance coverage under the Republican bill to repeal and replace Obamacare … ‘The CBO was wrong when they analyzed Obamacare’s effect on cost and coverage, and they are wrong again,’ Price said in a statement.”