Republican healthcare bill in peril after report

This article is more than 12 months old

Jun 28, 2017 06:00 am

WASHINGTON: Senate Republicans watched support for their Obamacare repeal bill slide into perilous territory after Monday's release of a non-partisan report forecasting that the plan would leave 22 million more Americans uninsured by 2026.

The legislation introduced last week by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was already in jeopardy, despite expressed optimism by President Donald Trump.

With Democrats uniting in opposition to the draft, Republican leaders have struggled to rally enough support from within their ranks to get the bill over the line.

Mr McConnell has said he wants a final vote on the bill on Friday, before a brief recess for lawmakers for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, but some in the party have balked at the short timeline.

The report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will no doubt sow deeper concerns about the viability of the legislation, which is aimed at fulfilling Mr Trump's pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the landmark reform of his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

The White House quickly dismissed the CBO report, citing what it called its "history of inaccuracy".- AFP