3/13/17

Congressional Budget Office: Obamacare Repeal Plan Would Leave 24 Million Additional People Without Insurance By 2026

Two Congressional committees have already passed their legislative efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without waiting for feedback from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on how these bills would affect the number of insured in the U.S. The CBO has now released its analysis, concluding that the repeal would result in 14 million fewer people having health insurance in only the first year. After a decade, the CBO estimates that 24 million more people would be without coverage than if the existing plans were kept in place.

According to the report [PDF], many of the 14 million Americans who would be added to the current number in the first year of repeal would come from those who actively elect to not pay for insurance. Within that group, there would be those who can afford coverage but choose not to and those who will no longer be able to purchase insurance because of higher premiums.

The number of uninsured is predicted to increase as Medicaid expansion is pared back, says the CBO. The report predicts that in 2020, when states will be able to undo the recent ACA expansions of Medicaid eligibility, there will be 21 more uninsured Americans than if the ACA were still in place. By 2026, that disparity would grow to 24 million, calculates the CBO, meaning 52 million people will not have coverage.

This is a breaking news story. More to come…

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