I take this time to talk about the Republican American Health Care Act that was released, I guess, about a week or two ago, affectionately known as TrumpCare. I start by saying, what is this legislation trying to achieve? When I listen to the Republicans talk about why they have introduced this bill, what their concern is with the Affordable Care Act, they usually mention their No. 1 concern is to deal with the increased premium costs that Americans have had under the Affordable Care Act. They normally will point to the individual marketplace, where we have seen increases in premium costs as the market has adjusted to the ratings of those who entered the individual marketplace. So it was very interesting, as I took a look at the Congressional Budget Office analysis of what the Republican TrumpCare bill would do. The Congressional Budget Office, let me remind my colleagues, is the objective scorekeeper. The leader of the Congressional Budget Office was appointed by the Republican leadership. It is the professional career people who make their best judgment of the impact of legislation that we are considering. Remember, the Republicans have said their principal objective is to bring down the cost, particularly for those entering the individual marketplace, but according to the Congressional Budget Office, in 2018- 19, the average rate in the individual marketplace will increase by 15 to 20 percent. Let me say that again.…
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