The House of Representatives narrowly passed a measure last month to replace Obamacare. The Senate version faces concerns from both moderate and conservative Republicans. But what will be its effect on the American taxpayer?

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday delayed a vote to repeal Obamacare fearing a probable defeat. The repeal has been a top Republican priority since President Donald Trump came into office. Now its a scramble to win more support by Senate members. The legislation would repeal major elements of Obamacare and shrink the Medicaid government healthcare program for the poor. The program was expanded under former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislative achievement.

The Senate's version of a health care overhaul would leave an additional 22 million people without insurance by 2026.  That number was released on Monday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. It's a marginal improvement to the bill passed by the House last month. More than 23 million people stand to lose coverage in that counterpart bill. Supporters of the legislation argue that the term "losing coverage" is misleading, especially when applied to those who don't like their plans or would choose not to purchase insurance had it not been for the individual mandate.

[caption id="attachment_2814" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The American Health Care Act passed the House by a vote of 217-213[/caption]

The CBO said that the federal budget deficit would decrease by $119 billion over the next decade if the revised ACA is signed into law. That is $32 billion less net savings than projected in an earlier version of the bill.

The largest savings would come from reductions in outlays for Medicaid. That savings comes from a reduction of $1.022 billion in health care spending through 2026. The CBO estimates a reduction in revenue by $701 billion. As drafted, the bill would eliminate the employer and individual mandates and repeal many of the taxes under the Affordable Care Act. It would also allow states to apply for waivers to opt out of some of the current law's minimum standards for coverage. The CBO estimates that these changes would ultimately lead to a 30% reduction in health insurance premiums. Single taxpayers with incomes above $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000 annually have paid an additional 0.9 percent under the ACA. Another 3.8 percent tax applies to investment income above those income levels. The two taxes have been in place since 2013. The highest-income filers in the nation would be the overwhelming beneficiaries of repealing these two taxes:

1. High-income taxpayers would no longer face Medicare taxes on all their income (unlike low- and moderate-income earners.)
2. Millionaires would reap 79 percent of the tax cut from repealing these two provisions in 2025, the Tax Policy Center (TPC) estimates. (Such households’ incomes average $4.1 million in 2025.)
3. Multi-millionaires would benefit even more. The top 0.1 percent of filers — those with incomes above $5.9 million — would receive tax cuts of more than $250,000 a piece on average in 2025.

Sen. McConnell told reporters that Republican leaders were still working to get the 50 votes needed to pass the bill. His party currently controls a majority of seats in the Senate.

We're going to press on," McConnell said after he announced the delay in the vote. "We're optimistic we're going to get to a result that is better than the status quo."

There are states that have benefited substantially under Obamacare. Maryland, particularly Montgomery County, has become a bright spot in the national health-care picture. From 2012 to 2015, subsidies to health insurance purchasers and the expansion of Maryland’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act have been promising. The percentage of uninsured Marylanders had fallen from 10.1 percent to 6.7 percent. The national average is 9.4 percent. [caption id="attachment_2812" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Maryland is one of the states that has benefited from the Affordable Health Care Act[/caption] While access to care under subsidized plans has increased in Maryland, families who pay full price for insurance on the exchange have suffered. Based on the rate increases submitted by health insurance providers, premiums will increase for 2018 Obamacare plans in Maryland between 19 and 59 percent. One specific plan offered by Cigna is could see a premium increase of 150.83%. Kaiser has also requested a premium increase of over 90 percent for one of their plans. For Marylanders who don't qualify for Medicaid or subsidized health insurance, the Senate bill stands to lower their premiums and deductibles significantly. If the bill does pass the Senate in the upcoming weeks, the House will either have to take up the Senate bill, or the two chambers will need to reconcile the two measures and each pass the conference package again.

Have you heard about the Nazi Spy Memorial, found on government property?