The day after the Senate’s third proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act flatlined, killed by three Republican senators who opposed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s repeal and delay proposal, President Donald Trump made some very bold promises about what the next version of the bill would look like.
Notably, Trump appears to be back to supporting repeal and replace. After the second version of the Senate’s health care bill was killed by Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), Trump supported a proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act and delay the implementation of a replacement for two years.
After three senators, Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowksi (R-AK) came out against repeal and delay, Trump said the best plan would be to simply “let Obamacare fail.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, Trump is back on the repeal and replace train, and he told reporters and senators multiple times that “we shouldn’t leave town” for the August recess until Obamacare is repealed and replaced.
That new replacement, he said, would reduce premiums 60 to 70 percent.
Trump promising 60-70 percent reductions in premiums. Bold
— Sam Stein (@samstein) July 19, 2017
Additionally, Trump promised better protections for preexisting conditions than currently available under the Affordable Care Act.
Trump on Senate GOP plan: You're going to have better pre-existing protections than under Obamacare
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) July 19, 2017
As he is wont to do, Trump did not offer any specifics regarding how, exactly, any of those promises would be possible under the theoretical new bill. Additionally, earlier versions of the bill have all done the opposite.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the first version of the bill would leave 22 million people without health insurance by 2026. The CBO also said the bill would greatly increase premiums and out-of-pocket costs for low-income people and people nearing retirement.
The CBO said the version of Obamacare repeal passed by the House in May would leave even more people, an estimated 23 million, without health insurance by 2026 and that the sickest people — those with the greatest need for health insurance — would pay significantly more for care.
Although the CBO never scored the second version of the Senate’s bill, an amendment included in the bill, crafted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), was expected to both increase premiums for the sickest individuals and erode coverage for preexisting conditions.
The most recent plan, repeal and delay, would leave 32 million uninsured by 2026 and double premiums by the same year.