CBO: 22 million more uninsured under Senate health bill

(AP) – The Senate Republican health care bill would leave 22 million more Americans uninsured over a decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office projection that could complicate the party’s push to hold a vote on the plan this week.

The estimated coverage losses are just slightly less than for the House-passed version of the Obamacare repeal bill, which concern Republican moderates who have pushed Senate leaders to craft a more generous bill.

“It makes me more concerned,” Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said of the CBO score during an appearance on CNN. “I’ve been uncommitted and I remain uncommitted.”

The Senate legislation also would cut the federal deficit by $321 billion over 10 years, driven by deep cuts to Medicaid and skimpier aid for people purchasing private coverage. Those savings far exceed the $119 billion target set by the House bill, meeting a key requirement for Republicans hoping to pass the Senate bill through a fast-track budget process needing just 51 votes.

That would also give Republican leaders much-needed flexibility to add financial sweeteners aimed at winning over skeptical GOP senators, including those worried that the bill would too deeply cut Medicaid or set back efforts to combat the nationwide opioid epidemic. But additional spending could further alienate the chamber’s conservatives, who are pushing for a more aggressive rollback of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.