Warning over new draft ‘Trumpcare’ bill

There is new pressure on the White House, with a warning that its latest proposal to replace Obamacare would result in a further 22 million Americans losing insurance. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says over the next decade 49 million people would be uninsured under the draft bill, compared with 27-28 million under Obamacare. The Democrats described the latest warning on the Republican’s proposed legislation as “jawdropping”. The Democrat leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, told a news conference: “Today’s (CBO) report confirms what doctors, patient advocates, democrats and republicans have been saying for weeks, Trumpcare will lead to higher costs for less care, and will lead to tens of millions of Americans left without any insurance.” The White House dismissed the warning from the CBO as “inaccurate”. But the latest assessment is likely to make it much harder for Trump and his aides to convince Democrats and even some Republicans to back their latest plans to replace Obamacare. An earlier draft put together by Trump and his team failed to pass in Congress. The warning from the CBO about the latest proposal came on the same day that Vice President Mike Pence tried to reassure a delegation of citizens with healthcare problems during a visit to the White House. “I am begging you, please please whatever it takes, we have got to get this fixed. It has destroyed people, it has destroyed me,” said Connie Mays from Ohio. Pence gave Mays a hug before saying: “Thank you for sharing your heart, and I promise you that the President and I and our whole team are not going to stop working until we get this thing done.”