The CBO has just dropped the score for the Senate Sh*t Sandwich Act (SSSA), otherwise known as the ironically named "Better Care Reconciliation Act," which is the Senate version of the AHCA, or "Trumpcare."
As those of us following the matter closely knew, it is a nasty sh*t sandwich served between two slices of sourdough Republican rhetoric.
First and foremost, the CBO confirms that millions will be uninsured and lose their access to health care immediately, with 22 million more uninsured by 2025.
Medicaid is cut by $772 billion, which directly contradicts the Orwellian talking point amongst Republicans that it's not really a cut, but more a question of how much it doesn't increase. It's a cut, and it's a big cut too.
The other savings in the bill comes from cutting subsidies for co-payments and deductibles for low-income earners, called CSRs. That, along with an end to essential health benefits, brings home $408 billion, just enough for those nice fat tax cuts McConnell and his Koch friends long to bring home.
Millions would lose coverage right away, with the most affected group being those in the pre-Medicare age group who are also low-income earners. Those people would see their costs double, or perhaps even triple. Here is a table.
There is more, and I am monitoring the cable news for a comprehensive analysis, though I fear they'll just focus on who will vote or not vote for the bill, as they have all day. Apparently policy matters less than process to cable news producers today.
I will update as facts warrant.
Update:
Oh, there's this, too.
Update 2:
Here's a pretty graphic representation of how people age 50-64 (Trump voters) will fare:
Update 3:
Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson think the bill isn't cruel enough. But here's Susan Collins, coming to join her colleague Dean Heller in opposing because it's too cruel.
Until Republicans start to understand that the ACA IS the Republican alternative to single payer and there is no other, they're going to be lost in this wilderness of needle threading.
With that said...they aren't at the tipping point yet. There's only one way to push them there. CALL EVERY GOP SENATOR you can. If you are reading this and you have one, CALL THEM.
