WASHINGTON — Republicans are considering advancing their health care bill without an analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on a major new provision that insurers warn would wreak havoc on customers and would amount to a virtually unprecedented procedural move in the Senate.
The CBO analyzed — or "scored" — a previous version of the Senate bill last month and found it would cover 22 million fewer people than current law. But that was before GOP leaders added a new amendment pushed by conservative members that would allow insurers to sell unregulated plans without protections for pre-existing conditions and without requirements that they cover various benefits guaranteed under Obamacare.
Republican leaders have said they expect the CBO to weigh in on the new bill early next week, days ahead of an expected vote. But senators say the score may not include the sweeping changes to insurance regulations, which were initially proposed by Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah.
“I don’t think we'll have a score from CBO on the Cruz amendment,” Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., told reporters on Thursday.