CBO Confirms: Senate Health Care Bill Just as Cruel as House Version

BISMARCK, N.D., June 29 -- The North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party issued the following news release:

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office today released its official analysis of the Senate Republican health care bill, showing that the legislation is just as cruel, if not crueler, than the version passed by the House.

"It didn't seem possible, but judging from today's CBO report, the Senate plan to strip health care from millions of Americans might be even meaner than the House version," said Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider. "This bill would increase costs and reduce the quality of care for working North Dakotans, those living in rural communities, senior citizens and hundreds of thousands of our friends, family members and neighbors who are living with pre-existing conditions. Meanwhile, it would give tax breaks to high-income earners and those who don't need another handout from the government. There's only one way to describe these impacts: cruel."

22 million more uninsured Americans:

According to the CBO, the Senate Republican health care bill would result in 22 million additional Americans losing health coverage (compared to 23 million who would lose coverage under the House version), including 15 million who would lose coverage as soon as next year.

Losses in health coverage wouldn't just impact those who purchase insurance on the private market: Next year alone, four million Americans with employer-sponsored insurance would also lose their coverage under the Senate bill

Huge premium increases:

Under the legislation, lower-income Americans would be forced to pay more for skimpier health coverage and costs for older, moderate-income Americans would skyrocket; an average, 64-year-old with an income of $56,000 could expect to see their premiums increase from $6,800 under current law to $20,500 under the Senate bill.

Cuts $770 billion from Medicaid:

Like the House version, the Senate Republican health care bill effectively ends Medicaid expansion, and imposes severe cuts to traditional Medicaid funding. The bill eliminates a total of $772 billion or 26 percent of Medicaid funding, resulting in 15 million fewer Americans covered under the program.

This would be especially devastating to rural states like North Dakota where hospitals in remote communities rely on Medicaid funding to keep their doors open and over 90,000 North Dakotans, including 36,000 children, have access to health care through Medicaid.