Trump administration disagrees with CBO report on health care

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Scalise: CBO got it wrong on ObamaCare replacement

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise breaks down Congressional Budget Office's analysis that 14 million more people would be uninsured in 2018 under the GOP repeal plan #Tucker

The Trump administration on Monday lashed out at the Congressional Budget Office’s report that estimated that about 24 million more Americans in a few years would be uninsured under the new legislation.

The bill, called the American Health Care Act, would be “less generous” with new tax credits for those receiving subsidies under the current law and the plan would likely increase average premiums in the nongroup market until 2020.

Tom Price, the Health and Human Services secretary, downplayed the report and said, “we disagree strenuously with the report that was put out. It’s just not believable is what we would suggest.”

The CBO report, compiled along with staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, also determined that the Republicans’ American Health Care Act would save money for taxpayers. According to the study, it would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion from 2017 to 2026.

SCALISE: CBO GOT IT WRONG ON OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT

The report’s estimate on the number of uninsured nevertheless could overshadow projections about premiums and taxpayer savings, fueling critics. Criticism so far has come from Democrats, Republicans from states that benefit from Obama's law and many corners of the health-care industry.

According to the CBO, the projected loss in insurance coverage is related mostly to a provision repealing penalties associated with the ACA’s requirement to buy insurance.

“Obamacare all of a sudden the last couple of weeks is getting a false rep that maybe it’s OK. It’s not OK,” President Trump said Monday, according to Politico. “It’s a disaster, and people understand that. It’s failed, and it’s imploding. And if we let it go for another year, it’ll totally implode. In fact, I’ve told the Republicans, ‘Why don’t you just let it go for another year?’ That way everybody will really understand how bad it is.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.