Advertisement CBO: GOP health care bill would reduce number of people with comprehensive health insurance 'by millions' Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The Congressional Budget Office released its preliminary analysis of the Graham-Cassidy bill on Monday saying that millions of people with comprehensive health insurance would lose coverage under the new bill. “That number could vary widely depending on how states implemented the legislation, although the direction of the effect is clear,” said the analysis. The non-partisan scoring agency estimates that between 2017 and 2026, "the legislation would reduce the on-budget deficit by at least $133 billion and result in millions fewer people with comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events."The report is not as detailed as previous CBO scores, however.It does not give a more specific number of how many Americans would lose health care coverage under the health care law sponsored by Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana nor does it include information on how Graham-Cassidy would affect the cost of premiums throughout the country.According to CBO, the reduction in the number of insured people relative to the number under current law would result from three main causes. 1. Enrollment in Medicaid would be substantially lower because of large reductions in federal funding for that program.2. Enrollment in nongroup coverage would be lower because of reductions in subsidies for it.3. Enrollment in all types of health insurance would be lower because penalties for not having insurance would be repealed.Senator Susan Collins from Maine, who reportedly said she was waiting for the report to come out before making her decision, said shortly after the analysis was posted that she was a no.Collins tweeted a full response as well saying, "This is simply not the way that we should be approaching an important and complex issue that must be handled thoughtfully and fairly for all Americans."The agency announced weeks ago that it would not have adequate time to release coverage numbers and instead would only be able to release a "preliminary" report."CBO will not be able to provide point estimates of the effects on the deficit, health insurance coverage, or premiums for at least several weeks," the agency said in a statement about the bill.The CBO score's main purpose is to ensure that the legislation meets its saving targets required under reconciliation, the process that allows Senate Republicans to pass the health care bill with 51 votes.The non-partisan agency's score is also of the first version of the bill. Changes were made to the legislation over the weekend and released Sunday night. Those tweaks include a recalculation of how much money rural states would receive under Graham Cassidy as well as a further roll back on protections for people with pre-existing conditions. The CBO's latest score does not include the changes.CNN has contributed to this report