House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday slammed as "bogus" the Congressional Budget Office's latest estimate that 22 million more people would be left without insurance over the next decade under the Senate plan to repeal Obamacare outright without a replacement program.
"I think that's kind of a bogus number," the Wisconsin Republican told reporters outside a New Balance shoe factory in Lawrence, Mass., The Hill reports.
"What they're basically saying is people will choose not to buy something that they don't want to buy if they don't have to buy it.
"The government is forcing people to buy something they don't want," he said. "And so if we stop forcing people to do something they don't want to do, they won't do it.
"I really don't see that as a credible number," Ryan said.
The nonpartisan CBO estimated Wednesday that the outright repeal would raise the number of uninsured people by 15 million next year alone and by 22 million over the next decade.
It would, however, cut the federal budget deficit by $420 billion.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed the repeal, with two years to develop a replacement plan, on Monday.
Three moderate Republicans have said they oppose the plan, which McConnell said would be voted on next week.
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