ObamaCare repeal would leave 32 million more without insurance, CBO says

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Health care reform: Is failure an option?

Dr. Cathleen London and Dr. Marc Siegel discuss efforts to repeal and replace ObamaCare

Repealing ObamaCare without a replacement would leave 32 million more Americans without health insurance by 2026, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

The CBO also projected that average premiums for individual policies would double over the same time period, while about half of all Americans would live in regions where no insurer would sell policies to individuals at all by 2020.

The CBO score was released the day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced that the Senate would vote on a so-called "straight repeal" next week after two attempts to craft replacement legislation failed.

"Regretfully, it is now apparent that the effort to repeal and immediately replace the failure of Obamacare will not be successful," McConnell said Tuesday.

In response to the CBO score, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed what he called Republicans' "'repeal and run' bill."

"It was a horrible idea in January and it’s a horrible idea now," Schumer said. "Instead of careening towards a plan that would devastate the American health care system, Republicans should work with Democrats to pass real solutions to lower premiums, stabilize the market and improve coverage for millions of Americans."

The Senate passed a bill to repeal ObamaCare in 2015, but it was vetoed by then-President Obama. Two GOP senators who voted to repeal in 2015 — Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — have said they would oppose any repeal bill that could become law without a replacement ready to go. Susan Collins of Maine also announced that she planned to vote no, which would kill any chance of repeal legislation in the Senate.

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump summoned GOP senators to the White House and told them they must not leave town for their August recess without sending him a repeal bill to sign.

"For seven years you promised the American people that you would repeal Obamacare. People are hurting. Inaction is not an option and frankly I don't think we should leave town unless we have a health insurance plan," Trump said.

Seated next to Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, who is vulnerable in next year's midterm elections, Trump remarked: "He wants to remain a senator, doesn't he?" as Heller gave a strained grin.

After the lunch, Murkowski demurred when asked if she still planned to vote "no," telling reporters: "We don't know what the motion to proceed is for all certainty ... I think that there's going to be a lot more discussion before there's a motion to proceed."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.