Congressional Budget Office: 16 million Americans could lose health insurance by 2026 under Senate Republicans' 'skinny repeal' of Obamacare

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July 27, 2017 1:18 AM

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Republicans' wrangling over health care a "sham" and said it was "never an open and transparent process."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that 16 million Americans could lose their health insurance by 2026 under Senate Republicans' Health Care Freedom Act, a bill that would repeal only some elements of Obamacare.

Details of the so-called "skinny repeal" were revealed on the Senate floor Thursday night.

Lawmakers are expected to vote on the legislation at midnight Eastern time.

Heres whats in the bill:

According to the CBO, the skinny repeal would also result in premiums that are roughly 20% higher than they are under the current law, each year.

After the CBO's assessment was revealed Wednesday evening, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed his Republican counterparts on the Senate floor, calling ongoing arguments on the matter a "sham."

"We don't even have a final bill to amend," Schumer said, adding that the process was "never an open and transparent."

A bipartisan group of 10 governors urged the Senate to reject the skinny repeal. "Instead, we ask senators to work with governors on solutions to problems we can all agree on: fixing our unstable insurance markets," a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Schumer said.

Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers tore down the Health Care Freedom Act late Thursday on the Senate floor.

Senate Republicans have proposed and wrangled over several versions of health care bills this week in a last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act.

Despite multiple failures and potentially devastating assessments by the CBO, President Donald Trump has pushed his Republican allies to put together a bill he can sign.

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