Washington, DC--Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) said the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act, but limit the Medicaid expansion, will reduce the cost of the Affordable Care Act by $84 billion while expanding health care coverage to 33 million uninsured Americans by 2022.   The decision by some governors to opt out of the Medicaid expansion is estimated by the non-partisan CBO to cost three million Americans access to health care.  Rep. Engel is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health.

Rep. Engel said, “The good news is that the price tag for implementing the Affordable Care Act has been reduced by $84 billion.  The bad news is that due to the politics of some governors, three million Americans will be denied health care coverage.  While it is helpful to have the costs reduced, it is shameful to see families continue to have to choose between seeing the doctor and paying their mortgage or putting food on the table. 

“The CBO has also exposed the fallacy of the Republicans’ attempts at repealing the law.  Their plan to repeal and not replace would actually increase the budget deficit by an estimated $109 billion.  In reality, their replacement plan is a return to the old failed system –eliminating health care coverage for millions, putting patients with pre-existing conditions at risk, re-opening the harmful Medicare prescription drug ‘donut hole’, taking health coverage away from young adults, and allowing insurers to be an obstacle between patients and physicians.   Their lack of a plan is wrong, both morally and fiscally.  Over time, the American people will see and feel the benefits of the health care law, and hopefully, those denied access to care will one day be able to take part as well.”

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