GOP’s ‘Act of Mercy’ Could Result in 24 Million People Losing Health Care

As they seek to replace Obamacare with a conservative alternative, Republicans are discovering that finding the right sales pitch on health care can be an incredibly delicate task. For weeks now, the party has touted its plan as a compassionate salve to the woes of Obamacare ― without acknowledging that there are serious trade-offs in return. 

On Monday, the actual costs of that act were outlined by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and it did not resemble mercy. 

Under the Republican plan, repealing the Affordable Care Act could result in 24 million people losing health care coverage over the next decade. Older Americans would have to pay significantly more for insurance. A single 64-year-old who makes $26,500, for example, could face a 700 percent jump in premiums (from $1,700 now to $14,600 under the GOP bill).

Ryan tried to seize the parts of the CBO score that confirm his ideological vision ― mainly the deficit reduction and decreased spending on Medicaid. But as a practical political matter, the study is unambiguously damaging, if only for how dramatically different its projections are from the GOP’s health care promises. That’s especially true for President Donald Trump.