House Speaker Paul Ryan's response? "This report confirms that the American Health Care Act will lower premiums and improve access to quality, affordable care."
Okay. Sure.
Congressman Ruben Gallego is making it clear that he isn't buying it. At a panel at the SXSW festival in Austin today, the Arizona Democrat slammed Ryan for routinely lying to the American public about what will happen to their health care once the Affordable Care Act is repealed.
"Let me give credit to Paul Ryan," Gallego says in the video. "Paul Ryan is one of the best liars I've ever seen in the world. He can look at you and ...".@RepRubenGallego not mincing words to @JakeSherman & @apalmerdc at #SXSW #PlaybookExchange. Calls Ryan "one of the best liars" he's seen. pic.twitter.com/qlUurBJnXJ
— Zach Montellaro (@ZachMontellaro) March 13, 2017
"This is on tape, by the way," Jake Sherman of POLITICO jokingly interjects.
"This is me being tame," Gallego responds. "He's an amazing liar. He will go on TV and say, 'No one's going to lose coverage,' and all these kinds of things that are just clear lies."
Gallego later issued a statement in which he called the CBO report "an embarrassment to Paul Ryan, the Republican Party, and the conservative movement.”
So far, specific numbers on how many Arizonans stand to lose coverage aren't available. But it doesn't look good.
The L.A. Times analyzed county-by-county level data, and lists Arizona as one of the top five states that would be hit hardest by the repeal.
And we do know that senior citizens — of which Arizona has many — will be hit especially hard.
The Congressional Budget Office's report shows that a 64-year-old making $26,500 a year currently pays a premium of $1,700 for their health insurance. Under "Trumpcare," as the new plan has already been nicknamed, that premium would go up to $14,600.
Yes, you read that right.
