The federal analysis of the GOP health plan — panned by Democrats and even some Republicans — is good news for young people, who will see their insurance costs eventually lowered as older people pay more, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Premium cuts would vary significantly based on age, with older people paying more than they would under Obamacare, the Journal reported.
This is contrasted with the news 24 million fewer people would be insured by 2026 under the GOP plan, according to The Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on Taxation, forcing Republicans to go on the defensive.
And though the report found $337 billion would be slashed by 2026 from the federal deficit, the "big win" for Republicans is premiums in the individual market would eventually be roughly 10 percent lower than under Obamacare, the Journal noted.
In the shorter term, however, average premiums for people who buy an individual policy in 2018 and 2019 would be up to 20 percent higher because the GOP plan kills a requirement that most Americans pay a penalty if they do not have coverage, the Journal reported.
"Older people and poor people will see after-tax premiums go up," Jason Furman, a top economic adviser to former President Barack Obama. "The overall health pool will be sicker."
The end of the individual mandate also is a driving reason in the short term behind the higher number of uninsured compared with Obamacare, which Democrats and some Republicans point to as a contradiction of the promises from President Donald Trump and White House officials, the Journal noted.
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