The Senate healthcare bill, otherwise known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), drops the number of insured by 22 million over the next ten years, according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis.
The CBO’s report also estimates that the bill will reduce the deficit by $321 billion by 2026, largely through reductions to Medicaid spending and reduced subsidies for Americans to purchase health insurance. The BCRA stands as a small improvement over the House’s American Health Care Act (AHCA), which cuts the number of insured by 23 million over the next decade, while reducing the deficit by $119 billion.
The CBO reports that the Senate bill will save $202 billion more than the House’s AHCA. Most savings from the Senate’s BCRA arise from ending Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, and instituting per capita caps on Medicaid payments, and reducing Obamacare subsidies to the individual market.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that under the BCRA, 15 million more Americans would lose insurance in 2018 compared to current law under Obamacare.
The Senate appears to have President Donald Trump’s blessing, as he told senators previously that the House’s AHCA was “mean,” urging them to create a “more generous” bill. Senate leadership attempted to write a more generous version of health care reform compared to the House-passed AHCA.
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can now move forward to make changes to the BCRA, or move to hold a vote this week. McConnell previously said he would not hold a vote on the Senate bill until it had a CBO score.
Read the CBO report here.
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