Asked About Millions Losing Care, Ryan Says 'Lowering Costs' Is What Matters

[DonViejo]

By MATT SHUHAM Published MARCH 7, 2017, 5:23 PM EDT

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Tuesday called estimates that millions of people could lose health care coverage under an Obamacare replacement a “bogus” metric, and said lowering costs for everyone was more important.

Ryan also said he could “guarantee” that a finalized proposal would have enough votes to pass the House of Representatives.

“By some estimates, 10 million people could lose coverage. Is that acceptable?” one reporter asked Ryan at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Though the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has not released its analysis of the House GOP’s Obamacare replacement plan, Standard & Poors released such an analysis Tuesday. S&P found that 2 to 4 million people enrolled in Obamacare’s individual marketplaces could lose coverage under the American Health Care Act, in addition to 4 to 6 million people currently covered by Medicaid.

“What matters is that we're the lowering costs of health care and giving people access to affordable health care plans,” Ryan responded. “The government will always win the war on government-run plans, saying, if we mandate everybody buys what we say they have to buy, then the government will always estimate that they’ll buy it.”

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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ryan-lowering-costs-is-what-matters

[Renew Deal]

1. $0 is a lower cost

[Phentex]

2. Basically the same thing Price said...

I think it's the equivalent of "Too Bad!" which is probably what Trump will tweet next.

[LakeArenal]

3. Lowering Costs for Whom?

[annabanana]

4. "giving people access" . . there's that "access" word again.

I live close to NYC. I have "access" to just about everything in the world.

[vlyons]

5. Ryan is damned liar!!!

It's about lowering the cost of doing business for insurance companies. Thus raising their profits. The Republican guiding principle is privatize profits and socialize costs of doing business on the backs of tax payers.

The 2 main reasons why Republicans want to kill the ACA:

1) Wall St and rich people don't want to pay the 3.8% surtax on investment income.

2) Insurance companies don't want to be limited to a "mere" 20% profit of customer premiums.

There are more reasons of course, and they are all about insurance profits. Republicans don't see constituents as human beings, they see us as potential profit centers.

[dalton99a]

6. More lies from greedy soulless murderers and thieves.

[Fred Sanders]

7. Here come the low cost JUNK plans that barely covered pimples...companies loved them!

The ACA eliminated these highly profitable scam plans so that any ACA plan had to have minimum coverage that actually was real insurance...but the Republicans already know that and want them back to give the illusion of health insurance....scoundrels.

[Ilsa]

8. Costs will go up again as millions head to Emergency Departments

for routine care to get screenings, etc. And more women will need gyn care through hospitals. Mammogram scheduling will get backlogged again.

[COLGATE4]

9. He's a Champion of the Republican motto:

"I've got mine. Fuck you!"

[herding cats]

10. They're RAISING costs for those ages 50-64.

The only people who will see a reduction are young healthy males from what I've been able to understand.

[Liberal In Texas]

11. He obviously means lowering costs to insurance companies.

Not people.

[Vinca]

12. Everyone has had access to health insurance since health insurance was created.

I have access to buying a mansion with gold toilets if I want one. Access isn't the problem. The problem is buying a $12,000 policy with a $4,000 tax credit.