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AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following statements on the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicted cost of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the Republican alternative to Obamacare. Also released this week was an important analysis by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reporting that healthcare insurance premiums for Americans have more than doubled under Obamacare.
Chip Roy, director of the Center for Tenth Amendment Action, said:
“While much is being made of the Congressional Budget Office score, the fact is its predictions on the impact of the American Health Care Act are unreliable. Nonetheless, this CBO analysis is being used by supporters to say how great the AHCA is, and for opponents to say how bad it is. In truth no one knows for sure how it would work because it is so convoluted and complex."
“Moreover, this week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that healthcare insurance premiums for Americans have more than doubled under Obamacare. This astounding fact puts in context the paltry estimated 20 percent reduction in premiums the CBO pulls out of the air for the few waiver states under the AHCA by 2026. The CBO’s analysis underscores the fact that the American people demand and deserve immediate relief, starting with our national leaders honoring their commitment for a full repeal of Obamacare, in order to free up the markets to provide options, better care, and lower costs.”
Dr. Deane Waldman, director of the Center for Health Care Policy, said:
“It is always instructive and useful to compare official predictions of future costs with the actual cost the public ends up paying. The American people had reason to anticipate a drop in the cost of health insurance when the CBO previously predicted family savings averaging $2,500 per year. What actually happened between 2013 and 2017 shows an average increase, not decrease, of 105 percent of the cost of insurance premiums. Even as ObamaCare doubled the costs of our insurance, wait time to see a family doctor increased to 122 days. Coverage and costs went up while access to care went down."
"The sole function of a healthcare system is to provide care to the people. When government predictions prove false and federal healthcare legislation reduces our access to care, it is more than worrisome. It is frightening.”
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