By Dan Calabrese ——Bio and Archives--June 27, 2017
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Twenty-two million Americans would lose insurance over the next decade under the healthcare bill drafted by U.S. Senate Republicans, a nonpartisan congressional office said on Monday, likely making it more difficult for the already-fraught legislation to win support for speedy passage.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to reconcile the demands of moderate Republicans concerned about people losing their insurance with those of conservative senators who say the bill does not do enough to repeal Obamacare. The assessment by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that an additional 15 million people would be uninsured by 2018 likely complicates McConnell's goal of scheduling a vote on the bill before the July 4 recess that starts at the end of this week. Republicans have a 52-seat majority in the 100-seat Senate and Democrats are united in opposition. McConnell can lose just two Republican senators, relying on Vice President Mike Pence to cast a tie-breaking vote. "If you are on the fence ... this CBO score didn't help you, so I think it's going to be harder to get to 50, not easier,” Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said of the bill's prospects.
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