(WASHINGTON, DC) – The revised score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCA) estimates that 23 million Americans who currently are insured would lose their health coverage by 2026. Despite a series of last-minute changes to the legislation to win votes, the score is nearly identical to an earlier estimate.

Even though nearly 38 million children in the U.S. receive their health insurance from Medicaid–which the AHCA seeks to slash by $834 billion–the CBO again failed to provide an estimate of the impact the bill would have on children (whether enrolled in Medicaid or through private insurance).

First Focus President Bruce Lesley issued the following statement:

“The Senate must act to protect children by scrapping this ill-conceived and harmful bill.

If the intention is to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), why are lawmakers hell-bent on including cuts to Medicaid, a separate and historically successful and popular program?

Because of this single-minded determination to eviscerate Medicaid—which nobody mentioned when campaigning to repeal and replace the ACA—children will be disproportionately and unnecessarily harmed. They are the most vulnerable members of society and the foundation of the American future. They deserve better.”

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First Focus is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.firstfocus.org.