Axios provides us with very bad news now that the Senate has received a failing grade from the Congressional Budget Office. The most devastating news is that not twenty, but twenty-two million Americans will be excluded from any health care whatsoever. The Cbo said the ranks of the uninsured will be "disproportionately larger among older people with lower income."

Medicaid savaged

CBO says the GOP's secret bill contains $772 billion in Medicaid cuts, however, does not mention where these cuts will go. Yet, the destination is reported. The savings will go to the rich as tax cuts.

This is the "better care" the GOP is hawking today.

The bill will require states to choose between more Medicaid funds, less doctor pay, denial of essential services and eligibility, or all of these draconian options at once. Under the GOP "better care" effort, average premiums are sure to rise, according to CBO. The cost of the excluded services, now standard under Obamacare, will go up, adding to the expense of health-seekers.

Maternity risks

Under the so-called "better care" law, maternity, mental health, rehab and high-end drugs will all add to the cost of health seekers. The robbery of funds to create the savings needed to add to the wealth of the wealthiest is what the GOP apparently means by "better care." On and to ensure that the worst case, annual and lifetime limits may cap these services as well.

Deductibles will double

You can pretty much assume that, for those who actually qualify for GOP "better care," costs will go up. CBO says deductibles will approach $6,000 for a benchmark plan. That's double the Obamacare outlay for the same thing.

There is yet another problem. "Sparsely populated areas" may offer no insurance whatsoever, the CBO says.

The bottom line

The CBO score is the bottom line of any money bill. The GOP will say that they are winning nice savings without talking about the damage it will create. The CBO will be skewered by the right wing if it manages to open some GOP eyes to the truth.

The AMA and other central health organizations will continue to say that Trump has given birth to an ethical disaster.

If this bill is rightfully shelved, if it never sees the light of day, it will be hard to forgive the GOP for having offered such a terrible alternative to Obamacare. Obamacare is now in tatters because of Trump's thoughtless and callous attacks. The GOP will continue to make Obama a scapegoat but, even this sad hypocrisy would be more bearable than the actual passage of the Trump's healthcare bill.
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