Congressman Cummings Condemns GOP Health Repeal Bill After CBO Report Finds 14 Million Would Lose Health Coverage Next Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Werner
March 13, 2017 (202) 226-5181

Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2017)—Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a report concluding that 14 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage in 2018 if Republicans pass their bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act:

“This Republican bill is not healthcare legislation—it’s an annihilation. Fourteen million people will have their healthcare wiped out if Republicans get their way. Republicans can make all the false promises they want, but the cold hard facts are that their bill will decimate coverage for millions of American families, gut Medicaid for the poorest among us, and force consumers to pay much more for far less.”

President Trump and other Republicans have promised repeatedly that their health care plan would improve access to health coverage:

• In 2013, Trump tweeted: “When I say I would end Obamacare, I would also come up with a plan that would be far better, much easier to understand, and cost less!”

• When he launched his campaign in June 2015, Trump said: “Save Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without cuts… Have to do it… People have been paying in for years, and now many of these candidates want to cut it.”

• On September 27, 2015, Trump said: “Everybody's got to be covered.” He added: “I am going to take care of everybody. I don't care if it costs me votes or not. Everybody's going to be taken care of much better than they're taken care of now.”

• On January 5, 2017, Trump tweeted: “...time for Republicans & Democrats to get together and come up with a healthcare plan that really works - much less expensive & FAR BETTER!” On March 9, 2017, Trump tweeted, “Despite what you hear in the press, healthcare is coming along great. We are talking to many groups and it will end in a beautiful picture!”

• On December 5, 2016, House Speaker Paul Ryan said the Republican healthcare plan will leave “no one worse off.” On Sunday, HHS Secretary Tom Price said: “Nobody will be worse off financially” under the Republican bill.

Yet, today’s CBO estimate shows the devastating impact that the GOP American Health Care Act would have on our system of health care. The legislation would increase the number of uninsured by 14 million in 2018, rising to 21 million in 2020 and 24 million in 2026. In total, CBO estimates that 52 million would be uninsured in 2026, compared with 28 million under current law.

CBO estimates that by 2026, 14 million Medicaid enrollees will lose coverage, a reduction of 17 percent. Importantly, CBO also projects that Medicaid spending would be 25 percent less than under current law, suggesting that the level of benefits will also decrease.

For those in the private insurance market, CBO suggests that new tax credits for low-income people would be smaller than under current law, though individuals with higher incomes would see larger credits under the GOP proposal.

The value of coverage would also decrease with the repeal of actuarial value requirements. CBO finds that this would lead insurers to offer cheaper, less robust options that appeal to young, healthy people, segregating individuals with complex, high-cost needs.

Finally, CBO finds that fewer employers would offer health insurance due to the repeal of the employer mandate.

Taken together, these changes have devastating impacts on recent efforts to make insurance affordable and accessible for all people, particularly those with low incomes or chronic conditions. These changes have the potential to undermine the private insurance market and erase recent gains in coverage.