EditorA recent research report showed that over 14 million Americans will lose medical insurance by next year if Obamacare is repealed. This is a big portion of the people who came into the healthcare insurance fold after Affordable Care Act was instated. The GOP bill plans to dismantle Obamacare completely as it will help reduce the budget deficit.
According to the U.S. Congressional Budget Office report, the number of uninsured will increase by 24 million by 2026 if the new legislation is adopted as a replacement for Obamacare. This report has put a damper on the Republicans’ efforts to talk up the proposal in the Senate. The Republicans are on the defensive now; they are saying that the new healthcare plan will offer more choices to the people.
The new plan faces oppositions from Republicans as well; some republicans believe it is not radical enough while others are more concerned about the cost. Doctors, hospitals and other medical providers have been quite vocal about their opposition too.
The CBO report is not being taken seriously in certain quarters. White House spokesperson Sean Spicer stated that healthcare coverage evaluation is not CBO’s main purpose. Orrin Hatch, another Republican who is also the chairman of Senate Finance Committee thinks that the report isn’t going to mean an end to the proposal.
Democrats on the other hand are doing their best to stop the bill and they believe the bill will help the rich and hurt the poor. “It’s vintage Donald Trump: talks like a populist, but when he acts, it’s hard-right, favoring the special interests and hurting the middle class and those trying to get there,” Democrat Chuck Schumer told a news conference.
(Writing by Ananya Dutta; Editing by Mohith Agadi)
Editorial Staff
Ananya Dutta
