Health Care Vote Delayed As GOP Senators Come Out Against New Bill
Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) - And then there were six.
On Monday the Congressional Budget Office released its report on the Senate health care bill and estimated that 22 million more people will be uninsured by 2026 if it replaces Obamacare.
Numbers in that report convinced Senator Susan Collins from Maine to vote no.
I want to work w/ my GOP & Dem colleagues to fix the flaws in ACA. CBO analysis shows Senate bill won't do it. I will vote no on mtp. 1/3
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 26, 2017
CBO says 22 million people lose insurance; Medicaid cuts hurt most vulnerable Americans; access to healthcare in rural areas threatened. 2/3
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 26, 2017
Senate bill doesn't fix ACA problems for rural Maine. Our hospitals are already struggling. 1 in 5 Mainers are on Medicaid. 3/3
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 26, 2017
Collins joined Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Dean Heller, Sen. Ron Johnson, Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Rand Paul to come out against the plan. Senate leaders can only afford to lose two GOP votes.
Because of the growing opposition, the bill may now not come up for a vote this week as planned. Several of those Republicans are saying that they will block attempts by GOP leaders to bring the bill to the floor as early as Tuesday. They view the CBO numbers as proof this legislation needs a lot more work.
"I won't vote to proceed to it unless the bill changes," said Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY.
If the vote doesn't happen this week, lawmakers will face their constituents' concerns when they go home for a week-long Fourth of July holiday break.
"You know the reality of the matter is, we better pay attention to people, many of whom feel very disenfranchised in this country," said Gov. John Kasich, R-OH.
According to the CBO report, steep Medicaid cuts would force enrollment down by 15-million Americans over ten years, reducing the federal deficit by $321-billion.
As for Americans in the individual market, average premiums would be about 20-percent lower than under Obamacare. But some Americans would receive smaller tax credits, meaning many would end up with higher out of pocket spending on health care.
The hardest hit would be older middle-income Americans.
A 64-year-old making roughly $60,000 a year would go from paying about $4,000 a year to $16,000 in 2026.
The CBO estimated that under the GOP plan, 15 million people would drop off coverage next year primarily because the Obamacare penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated.
The White House has slammed the non-partisan CBO saying their reports have a history of inaccuracy.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio agreed that their reports are not always accurate.
"A CBO report is an accounting exercise, it's based on assumptions, it makes an assumption that I think is flawed," he said.
Vice President Pence will host a group of Senate conservatives at his home Tuesday night to discuss the bill.
