Tax expert: GOP plan would result in 350K fewer people with health insurance

[MindMover]

A proposal from House Republicans that would require people to reimburse subsidies they're not entitled to under the healthcare law would result in 350,000 fewer people gaining insurance, according to the chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation.

Democrats seized on the testimony from Thomas Barthold to assail the plan, which Republicans say would cut the deficit by $43.9 billion.

Republicans are "attacking further the Affordable Care Act so another 350,000 Americans lose health care coverage, penalizing them for work and economic advancement, death or divorce," Ways and Means ranking member Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) said in his opening statement during a markup of the plan on Wednesday.

And Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Health subcommittee, introduced an amendment that would prevent the provision from applying in years when the secretary of Health and Human Services determines that it "will or is likely to result in a decrease in the number of insuranced individuals during the year." It failed along party lines.

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/222211-gop-proposal-would-cause-350000-people-to-lose-health-insurance

[Lil Missy]

1. That's a lowball estimate.