Congressional Budget Office: “Senate health-care bill would leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026”

Mitch McConnell amongst press and photographers

On Monday, June 26, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released their assessment of the draft Senate GOP health care bill and the news is as bad as expected. There will be a reduction of $772 billion in federal Medicaid spending, representing a 26% reduction for the program by 2026. That’s right, instead of addressing concerns about the House bill released in May, the Senate opted to slash Medicaid funding. Worse yet, many GOP Senators have vowed to fight the bill as it is written, not because the cuts will harm millions of disabled Americans and other at risk populations, but rather because they feel the proposed cuts don’t go far enough!

A chart on page five of the CBO report illustrates how the bill’s anticipated federal deficit reduction will be placed on the backs of low-income senior citizens and disabled Americans over the next 10 years.To make up for the billions of dollars in budget revenue that the Senate healthcare bill gives away by repealing or delaying taxes on people with high income and fees imposed on corporate health insurers, Republican senators cut billions from Medicaid funding.

That means low-income individuals and families of all ages will have to pay more money for less coverage but already wealthy people and corporations will get a tax break.

What do Medicaid providers thinks about the Senate GOP plan? Not much. The National Association of Medicaid Directors—a bipartisan nonprofit—issued a statement also critiquing the GOP Senate bill saying that "no amount of administrative or regulatory flexibility can compensate for the federal spending reductions that would occur as a result of this bill" and as a result, unanimously deemed the projected per capita cap growth rates for Medicaid in the Senate bill "insufficient and unworkable."

And no matter where you are, don't stop calling or contacting Senate offices both in DC and your area!

Contact information for GOP Senators in key states:

Alaska
Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-6665
Anchorage: (907) 271-3735
Fairbanks: (907) 456-0233
Juneau: (907) 586-7277
Wasilla: (907) 376-7665
Kenai: (907) 283-5808
Ketchikan: (907) 225-6880

Email: https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email
Web: https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenLisaMurkowski/
Twitter: @lisamurkowski
 

Arizona
Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-4521
Phoenix: (602) 840-1891
Tucson: (520) 575-8633

Email: https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff
Web: https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senatorjeffflake
Twitter: @JeffFlake

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-2235
Phoenix: (602) 952-2410
Prescott: (928) 445-0833
Tucson: (520) 670-6334

Email: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Web: https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnmccain/
Twitter: @SenJohnMcCain
 

Colorado
Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-5941
Colorado Springs: (719) 632-6706
Denver: (303) 391-5777
Durango: (970) 415-7416
Fort Collins: (970) 484-3502
Grand Junction: (970) 245-9553
Greeley: (970) 352-5546
Pueblo: (719) 543-1324
Yuma: (970) 848-3095

Email: https://www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory
Web: https://www.gardner.senate.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenCoryGardner
Twitter: @sencorygardner
 

Maine
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-2523
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417
Biddeford: (207) 283-1101
Caribou: (207) 493-7873
Lewiston: (207) 784-6969
Portland: (207) 780-3575

Web: https://www.collins.senate.gov
Email: https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susancollins
Twitter: @senatorcollins
 

Nevada
Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-6244
Las Vegas: (702) 388-6605
Reno: (775) 686-5770

Email: https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Web: https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenDeanHeller/
Twitter: @SenDeanHeller
 

Ohio
Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-3353
Cincinnati: (513) 684-3265
Cleveland: (216) 522-7095
Columbus: (614) 469-6774
Toledo: (419) 259-3895

Email: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Web: https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senrobportman
Twitter: @senrobportman
 

West Virginia
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

Phone numbers:
U.S. Capitol: (202) 224-6472
Beckley: (304) 347-5372
Charleston: (304) 347-5372
Martinsburg: (304) 262-9285
Morgantown: (304) 292-2310

Email: https://www.capito.senate.gov/contact/contact-shelley
Web: https://www.capito.senate.gov/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/senshelley
Twitter: @sencapito