The US Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) report says the number of people without health insurance will hit 24 million in 2026.
Fourteen million Americans would lose medical insurance by next year under a Republican plan to dismantle Obamacare, the nonpartisan US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said in a report on Monday.
The report by the CBO, which produces independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues, was rejected by the White House which said it "strenuously" disagrees with the projections.
The CBO said that enacting the legislation currently before Congress – a measure backed by President Donald Trump – would reduce the federal deficit by some $337 billion over the next decade, a relatively small savings given the massive size of the US economy.
ObamaCare is imploding. It is a disaster and 2017 will be the worst year yet, by far! Republicans will come together and save the day.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2017
White House disagrees
The CBO said the number of people without health coverage would soar in subsequent years, "to 21 million in 2020 and then to 24 million in 2026" compared to those currently insured under the reforms implemented by Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said the report should serve as "a looming stop sign" for Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare.
US health secretary Tom Price said it will cover more individuals and lower costs and disagreed "strenuously with the report that was put out."
Price said the CBO only looked at the House bill, and not the two other parts of their three-phase plan.
As for the estimate that 14 million people would lose coverage, he said, "It's just not believable is what we would suggest."
TRT World's Lorna Shaddick has more details from New York.
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