Republicans Reeling After Study Finds 32 Million Will Lose Insurance Under Graham-Cassidy

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:07 pm

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The Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare were dealt a blow on Friday as the non-partisan Brookings Institute found that at least 21 million would lose their health insurance, 15 million immediately, and as many as 32 million by 2026 under Graham-Cassidy.

According to Brookings:
Based on this analysis, we estimate that the Graham-Cassidy legislation would reduce the number of people with insurance coverage by around 21 million each year during the 2020 through 2026 period. This estimate likely understates the reductions in insurance coverage that would actually occur under the Graham-Cassidy legislation, particularly toward the beginning and end of the seven-year period, because it does not account for the challenges states will face in setting up new programs on the bill’s proposed timeline, the possibility that uncertainty about the program’s future will cause market turmoil toward the end of the seven-year period, or the bill’s Medicaid per capita cap and other non-expansion-related Medicaid provisions.

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The Graham-Cassidy legislation’s adverse effects on insurance coverage are likely to increase after its block grant funding expires at the end of 2026. After that time, the legislation is similar to the “repeal and delay” proposal that the Senate considered in July, which CBO estimated would reduce the number of people with insurance coverage by 32 million people in the long run. Reductions in insurance coverage would likely be somewhat larger under the Graham-Cassidy proposal because of the legislation’s non-expansion related Medicaid provisions, which would further reduce insurance coverage.

The 32 million people without health insurance could be an underestimate because it is impossible to forecast what will happen to the nation’s health insurance system when it is turned into a 50 state free for all with declining funding and little regulation on insurance companies. Since Senate Republicans are going to force a vote on this legislation before the CBO has completed its analysis, studies like the from Brookings are going to carry even more weight.

Graham-Cassidy is universally opposed by insurance companies, physicians, hospitals, and patients. It is a nightmarish piece of legislation that will devastate one-sixth of the US economy. While Republicans are trying to change the subject to the non-existent prospect of single payer, even Sen. Bernie Sanders admits that his bill has no chance of passage right now, the bill they are proposing would make the health insurance system worse than it was before Obamacare.

The numbers are in, and they show that Graham-Cassidy is a bill that must be defeated for the good of the people of the United States of America.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association