24 million Americans could lose health insurance

Millions of Americans could lose health insurance if Republicans succeed in repealing Barack Obama's health care reform, known as "Obamacare". More than 14 million people could be without insurance by 2018, and 24 million by 2026, according to a report by the US Congressional Budget Office. The report was released on Monday, March 13.

The loss of health insurance, which could affect such a large number of people, is unacceptable, the American Medical Association said. They noted that the results of Obamacare are not perfect, but they have become "significant progress", and the Republican plans harm the most vulnerable segments of the population, reports the epd news agency.

The published report is the result of the first attempt by the Congressional Budget Office to analyze the consequences of the possible repeal of Obamacare reform. Republicans plan to cancel cash state support for citizens insured as a result of Obamacare and partially replace it with tax refunds. In addition, they plan to cancel mandatory health insurance and reduce budget spending on expanded Medicaid state insurance for the poorest segments of the population.

Republican arguments

House Speaker and co-author of the Republican bill, Paul Ryan, criticized the budget office report. He said he understood the concerns, adding that Republicans want to give citizens more freedom of choice and do not force anyone to sign a health insurance contract. The Republican representative also emphasized that their reform should reduce the state budget deficit.

The repeal of Obamacare was one of Donald Trump's main campaign promises. Conservatives sharply criticized Obamacare's reform, in particular the mandatory insurance, which led to about 20 million American citizens signing up for such contracts.

The Republicans' plans for Obamacare will soon be discussed in the US Congress. Republicans currently have a majority in both houses of parliament. In January, the US Senate took the first step towards repealing Obamacare's health care reform.

Source: Deutsche Wave