Trump-backed health plan will save billions by leaving millions uninsured: CBO

WASHINGTON -- The Republican bill to replace major portions of Barack Obama's health care law would leave 24 million additional people uninsured over the next decade, according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office. A look at what the CBO said Monday about the House GOP plan that's backed by U.S. President Donald Trump:

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- It would reduce budget deficits by $337 billion over a decade. The largest savings would come from reductions for Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for low-income Americans, and elimination of Obama's subsidies for individuals buying coverage.

- Fourteen million more people would be uninsured next year, mostly 6 million who wouldn't get coverage on the individual market and 5 million fewer under Medicaid.

- The number of uninsured would rise to 24 million in 2026. Much of the increase would be from changes in Medicaid enrollment as states end Obama's expansions of eligibility.

- In 2026, an estimated 52 million people would be uninsured compared with 28 million under Obama's law.

- Fewer employers would offer health benefits; 2 million fewer workers would have coverage next year, 7 million fewer in 2026.

- Average premiums for individuals would rise in 2018 and 2019 by 15 percent to 20 percent, compared with current law, because Republicans would eliminate the penalties designed to induce people to buy insurance coverage, leading to higher costs for those who remain.

- Beginning in 2020, premiums would fall compared to current law, and by 2026 average premiums for people buying individual coverage would be roughly 10 percent lower than current law. However, premiums would vary significantly by age because Republicans would allow older people to be charged more for coverage, compared with young people, than under Obama's law.

- Total federal subsidies for people buying policies would drop substantially under the GOP bill, with the average subsidy falling to half its size under current law by 2026.

- Funds for Planned Parenthood would be prohibited for one year. CBO estimates the number of births in the Medicaid program would increase by several thousand.