GOP healthcare bill could be deadly for thousands of Americans, study

hospital GOP healthcare bill

A new report suggests that lawmakers are debating a bill that could take away insurance needed to save lives.

If the GOP healthcare bill goes ahead in its current form, the number of premature deaths among Americans will increase by 29,000 per year, says a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine medical journal.

This report is based on calculations conducted on the Republican health care legislation if it goes forward as-is.

Congressional lawmakers are debating two different plans for an Affordable Care Act repeal. That said, the Annals of Internal Medicine report concluded that either could strip some Americans from the opportunity they currently have to receive the care they require to live. The report pointed out that adults in the United States with health insurance coverage have a 71 percent to 97 percent lower risk of dying imminently than people who are uninsured.

“Health insurance saves lives,” said the Annals of Internal Medicine report authors. The report itself updated and solidified the findings of a groundbreaking review from 2002. That review was conducted by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies of Science.

Health experts underscored the importance of these latest findings regarding the GOP healthcare bill impact on Americans.

hospital GOP healthcare billDr. Steffie Woolhandler and Dr. David Himmelstein are public health experts from Hunter College in New York state. They both support the concept of a single-payer, nationwide health system. Published research since the landmark report in 2002 only “strengthens confidence” in the original findings, said Woolhandler and Himmelstein.

The two experts also determined that American adults carrying health insurance are healthier than those without a health plan. Those with coverage are more likely to have high blood pressure under control and have a lower likelihood of suffering from depression.

The medical journal published the report immediately on the heels of an announcement from the Congressional Budget Office. The announcement revealed that the GOP healthcare bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act may reduce the number of insured Americans by 22 million by 2026. Similarly, the Congressional Budget Office said that the bill that has already passed the House of Representatives would result in 23 million fewer insured Americans by the same year.

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