Politics

Here’s what Massachusetts officials had to say about the Republican health care plan’s CBO report

The nonpartisan budget office found the GOP plan would increase the number of uninsured by 24 million by 2026.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, center, speaks at a news conference last week regarding the American Health Care Act.

By Nik DeCosta-Klipa

2 minutes to read

The Congressional Budget Office released their much-anticipated assessment of House Republicans’ health care overhaul bill Monday afternoon — to much fanfare from local Democrats. But it wasn’t because they support the bill.

The nonpartisan budget office’s report found the bill — supported by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan — would ultimately result in lower average premiums and federal savings of $337 billion by 2026.

But the CBO also found the GOP bill would result in 14 million more Americans without insurance next year. By 2026, the number of uninsured people would reach 52 million (compared to current projections of 28 million under the Affordable Care Act), according to the CBO — an increase of 24 million people.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who had visited a Quincy health center earlier in the day, tweeted after the CBO’s report that Massachusetts residents have a right to be concerned and asked whether certain constituents could be among the 24 million to “lose” insurance.

Warren called the implications of the plan “heartless and irresponsible.”

Sen. Ed Markey, Warren’s fellow Massachusetts Democrat, called “TrumpCare,” as his party has dubbed the bill, a “disaster” and highlighted its potential impact on the efforts to address the opioid epidemic. Markey also alluded to the fact that many Republican-leaning groups also oppose the plan.

Massachusetts’s representatives also got in on the pile on.

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In a sarcastic tweet, Rep. Seth Moutlon mocked the purported benefits of the Republican plan, referring to a CBO finding that a low-income senior could see his or her premiums balloon from $1,700 to $14,600 under the plan.

Rep. Joe Kennedy III — who has recently risen into the spotlight of the congressional health care fight — suggested that Republican efforts to role back the ACA would break Congress’s promise to working families.

In a statement, Rep. Katherine Clark said the plan would be tilted toward the wealthy and that “families at home deserve better.”

After pointing out the number who would lose health insurance, Rep. Michael Capuano sarcastically referenced Trump’s revelation last month that health care is “complicated.”

https://twitter.com/RepMikeCapuano/status/841389183939796993

Rep. Bill Keating, referencing another Trump quote, chimed in that there was “nothing beautiful about 24 million people losing their healthcare.”

Rep. Niki Tsongas said the bill was “inadequate” and “harmful for millions of Americans.”

https://twitter.com/nikiinthehouse/status/841404920737779716

Rep. Jim McGovern called for Americans to “stand up” and “fight back” to protect the ACA following the CBO report.

In a statement with New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone, Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal said the budget office’s findings “confirms what we already knew.”

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“This is a major step backwards for millions of Americans who now enjoy the benefits and protections of quality health insurance gained under the Affordable Care Act,” Neal said. “We strongly urge Republicans to back off their politically-motivated march to sabotage our health care system and instead work with Democrats to strengthen it.”

Someone might want to tell Paul Ryan that his bill does not quite have the full support of the Massachusetts delegation.