Congress' analyst: 14M lose coverage under GOP health bill

ByALAN FRAM and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR AP logo
Monday, March 13, 2017

WASHINGTON -- Nonpartisan analysts project that 14 million people would lose coverage next year under the House bill dismantling former President Barack Obama's health care law. The estimate is a blow to Republicans.

Monday's estimate by the Congressional Budget Office says the number of uninsured would grow to 24 million by 2026.

The projections give fuel to opponents who warn the measure would toss millions of voters off insurance plans. Criticism has come from Democrats, Republicans from states that benefit from Obama's law and many corners of the health-care industry.

President Donald Trump backs the GOP plan.

Republican leaders have said their aim is to lower health care costs. They say coverage statistics are misleading because many people covered under Obama's law have high out-of-pocket costs that make health care unaffordable.