On Monday, the latest effort by Senate Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare came to an abrupt halt as two more senators announced that they would vote against the latest GOP health care bill.
This dealt a blow to the Republicans and President Donald Trump, who have railed against the law for years.
Here’s a look at the various options and estimates on how many Americans will become uninsured under the different health-care proposals.
Current Law (ACA)
Under Obamacare, about 28 million people are uninsured.
The nation’s uninsured rate has fallen to a historic low under the Affordable Care Act. This is compared to just over 48 million in 2010.
Repeal Affordable Care Act
If Obamacare was repealed without a replacement, about 32 million more people would lose coverage by 2026, according to a Congressional Budget Office report that looked at an earlier GOP bill to repeal the act.
Such a move would probably leave 18 million more people without coverage in the first year.
All this would happen mainly because the individual mandate — which requires nearly all Americans to get coverage or pay a penalty — would be repealed, the CBO said.
After the Senate’s latest effort to repeal and replace Obamacare fell apart, Trump tweeted Monday that Republicans should just repeal the act now and replace it later.
He made a similar comment in June.
American Health Care Act (AHCA)
The House Republican bill would leave 23 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2026 than under Obamacare, according to the CBO. This would leave a total of 51 million non-elderly Americans uninsured, the CBO had estimated.
The House passed its version of an Obamacare repeal bill in May.
The legislation would end enhanced funding for Medicaid expansion, while overhauling the entire Medicaid program. It would eliminate the mandates that require nearly all Americans to have coverage and companies with more than 50 workers to provide health benefits.
Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA)
The Senate Republican’s health care bill would’ve left roughly 22 million fewer Americans with health insurance by 2026 than under Obamacare, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated.
This would leave an estimated total of 49 million people uninsured in 2026 under the BCRA, compared with about 28 million who would lack coverage under current law.
