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Opinion: The White House doesn’t like the CBO report on repealing Obamacare. Expect some ‘alternative facts’ soon.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, left, and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney respond to the release of the Congressional Budget Office's report on the projected cost and effects of the American Health Care Act in Washington on Monday.
(Michael Reynolds / EPA)
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To the editor: Even though the Congressional Budget Office is a nonpartisan entity, Health and Human Service Secretary Tom Price and the other Republicans who are trying to sell us on Trumpcare will continue to say that the CBO report predicting that 24 million Americans will lose their insurance under the law over the next 10 years is “not believable” because it exposes their monetary fantasies for what they are. (“Millions more would be uninsured under GOP healthcare plan, independent analysis shows,” March 13)

Rest assured, supporters of President Trump: More “alternative facts” will be forthcoming to dispel these discomforting reports.

Jon Nelson, Panorama City

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To the editor: It seems that the Republican leadership thinks it more important to say “no” to Obamacare in order to show itself true to its “repeal” mantra than to pay attention to the fiscal needs of the country, the financial needs of families and the healthcare needs of individual patients.

Obamacare is flawed but fixable. We all knew that was the case when it was passed. But for the Republicans to not wait for the budget cost and additional uninsured estimates by the Congressional Budget Office before holding votes makes me think they are afraid to vote with eyes wide open.

Howard A. Kahn, South Pasadena

The writer was chief executive of L.A. Care Health Plan for 13 years.

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To the editor: According to the CBO, 14 million people will become uninsured in 2018. But this is not mostly because of some horrible imposition the Republicans are putting on them, but rather because they are lifting an imposition from them.

Millions of people will choose not to purchase health insurance next year because the government will no longer force them to. I believe that’s a little thing called “freedom,” and it used to count for something in this country.

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Robert Chapman, Downey

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To the editor: You can argue about what “accessibility” to healthcare is. I have access to buy lots of things I can’t afford or are unacceptable to me. In regard to healthcare, that may mean that I have access to insurance that I can’t afford, that has too high a deductible to be useful or doesn’t cover the services I need.

On the other hand, it is easy to calculate “affordability.” You take someone’s income and deduct expenses that are easily known statistics. Does that leave enough to afford health insurance? That’s the definition of affordability.

There’s also the matter of higher monthly payments versus annual tax credits. How many low-income people can afford to pay more now in the hope that they will receive a tax break later?

The Republican promise of accessible, affordable healthcare is nothing more than a use of big words to sell a fraud.

Carolyn Dingus, Huntington Beach

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