Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) slammed the Congressional Republicans’ healthcare bill after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill would result in 14 million more Americans not having health insurance next year, and 24 million fewer covered by 2026. Rep. Peters voted against advancing the bill out of the Energy and Commerce Committee last week, citing independent estimates that it would reduce healthcare access, increase out-of-pocket costs, and undermine insurance markets.

Rep. Peters released the following statement:

“If these estimates are even in the ballpark, the Republican healthcare bill will nearly double the rate of Americans without health insurance over the next decade. It will rip healthcare coverage away from millions, increase out-of-pocket costs for millions more, and take us back to a time when emergency rooms overflowed with uninsured Americans seeking basic care.

“These numbers confirm the worst fears about this plan that we heard from doctors, hospitals, independent experts, and hundreds of San Diegans since this bill was declassified last week. We need an open, bipartisan process to protect what is working in the Affordable Care Act, fix what isn’t, and improve our healthcare system.

“This bill takes us backwards. That’s why I voted against it in committee, and will keep fighting to defeat it.”