NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (June 27): Senate Republicans’ plan to replace Obamacare will increase the number of uninsured Americans by 22 million, raise costs for many people currently enrolled in private insurance and slash Medicaid by billions of dollars, according to an estimate by the Congressional Budget Office.

The Senate bill, called the Better Care Reconciliation Act, would reduce the deficit by US$321 billion ($445.9 billion) over a decade, according to the CBO, which provides nonpartisan analysis of legislation. That compares with a bill that passed the House of Representatives in May, which CBO at the time projected would result in 23 million fewer people with insurance and cut the deficit by US$119 billion.

The findings set the stage for a short yet intense debate among Republicans, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell having to win over 50 of his 52 Republican senators to pass the bill this week. Their efforts may be complicated not only by the CBO’s projection that millions of people will lose insurance, but also by estimates that many Americans will face out-of-pocket costs and insurance premiums far higher than they are now.

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