The impartial CBO today released its updated report on the threat that the House-passed Trumpcare bill will have on American families.

“This is déjà-vu and worse -- the impartial CBO just confirmed that at least 23 million Americans will lose health care coverage if Trumpcare becomes law, while wealthy special interests will reap the benefits,” U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) said.

“Trumpcare also will mean higher costs; it will gut key protections; crush seniors with an Age Tax; steal from Medicare; and end the basic help provided to Alzheimer’s patients and others people with disabilities. Trumpcare not only threatens the peace of mind and economic security of families, it threatens jobs for every state across the country.

“The CBO estimate shows that our senior neighbors would particularly bear the brunt of this reckless bill. In addition to increasing the number of uninsured broadly, Trumpcare would disproportionately increase the number of uninsured among older people -- particularly people between 50 and 64 years old. Trumpcare’s cruelty does not stop there. It would dramatically change Medicaid, stripping $834 billion away from seniors, children, pregnant women and people with disabilities in order to give a nearly trillion dollar tax cut to the wealthiest few.     

“House Republicans also traded away protections for hardworking Americans with pre-existing conditions, leaving them to be pushed off their insurance and forced into high risk pools with soaring costs and frightening limits on the care they need. The just released CBO score shows that this bill would lead some Americans with pre-existing conditions to no longer be able to afford coverage of any kind, leaving them with no options in the face of necessary medical care. Trumpcare also would gut the essential health benefits (EHBs) for millions of Americans; the CBO estimates it would lead to substantial increases in out-of-pocket spending on health care, potentially forcing Americans to choose whether to forgo those services. Gutting EHBs would also mean huge cost increases for basic coverage like maternity care, addiction and mental health treatment, and emergency services. 

“Two months ago, Republicans tried to ram an earlier version of Trumpcare through the House without a single hearing and then traded consumer protections away with damaging changes to bring the right-wing tea party faction of the U.S. House on board. That time, it collapsed under its own weight by unmasking the huge tax breaks to wealthy special interests while raising costs for everyday Americans and weakening Medicare and Medicaid health services. This time, Republicans knew they had to pass Trumpcare before Americans knew just how bad the bill is, but with today’s release of the CBO score, now we do.”

U.S. Rep. Castor serves as the Vice Ranking Member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee where, two months ago, House Republicans began their efforts to ram Trumpcare through the House, including a marathon session that lasted more than 27 hours. Since Republicans began their reckless attempt to strip health care away from millions, she has led the charge to protect Americans and to drive home to Republicans the pain and chaos their bill would cause American families. U.S. Rep. Castor helped to craft the ACA so that it works for Florida families and today, the ACA has sustained progress. She will continue to fight Republican efforts to reverse the huge gains in coverage and peace of mind that the Affordable Care Act has brought families across the country. 

“It is not lost on me that, while you and I had to wait on pins and needles for the CBO score to know Trumpcare’s true, harmful impact, House Republicans did not wait because they knew, if the harmful impact was known, their attempt to rip insurance away from millions of Americans would meet a deservedly quick end. I encourage my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to scrap the outrageous Trumpcare bill passed by House Republicans and work with Democrats and anyone who cares about keeping their neighbors' health care coverage and expanding that coverage,” said U.S. Rep. Castor.

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