Changes made to an Obamacare repeal bill that are aimed at appeasing conservatives would cut the deficit reduction in the bill by more than half, from $337 billion saved over the next decade to $150 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
That’s a 55 percent cut in deficit savings from the original version, CBO said. The score also predicted there would be little change to the uninsured, as the original estimate found that 24 million people could go without insurance over next decade.
But the new estimate from the nonpartisan CBO is most likely not the final budget score, since lawmakers Thursday night were continuing to negotiate other possible changes aimed at getting enough Republicans to support it. House GOP leaders postponed a vote on the bill, the American Health Care Act, after it became clear the votes still weren’t there.
The CBO score focuses on changes to Medicaid that conservatives demanded. They include the addition of a mandatory work requirement and giving states the choice between a block grant or per capita cap for federal Medicaid spending.
