Have an employer health plan? You too could lose it under Trumpcare

Do you have health insurance from your employer and think that means you're out of danger from Trumpcare? Not so fast. The Congressional Budget Office had bad news for just about everyone in its score, and that includes 4 million people with employer-based insurance.

The nonpartisan budget analyst attributed the drop to the GOP's plan to repeal ObamaCare's two central mandates: the requirement to have health insurance and the requirement that most large employers provide it.

"Under current law, the prospect of paying the employer mandate penalty tips the scale for some businesses and causes them to decide to offer health insurance to their employees. Thus, eliminating that penalty would cause some employers to not offer health insurance," the CBO wrote.

"Similarly, the demand for insurance among employees is greater under current law because some employees want employment-based coverage so that they can avoid paying the individual mandate penalty. Eliminating that penalty would reduce such demand and would cause some employers to not offer coverage or some employees to not enroll in coverage they were offered."

That could happen immediately after the bill becomes law, if it does. This is another case in which the Senate bill is even worse than what the House came up with—it doubles the number likely to be forced out under the House bill.

There are other problems for people with employer-based insurance because repealing the Affordable Care Act means getting rid of protections that everyone on private insurance enjoys. Like having preventive care covered without an additional co-pay. Or knowing that you couldn't be charged exorbitant premiums and copays for the treatments your pre-existing condition requires. Or knowing that if you or someone in your family is struck with a debilitating disease, you won't be facing any caps on what your insurance will pay to keep you healthy. Or alive.

All we need is three Republican senators to block Trumpcare. If you have a GOP senator, we need you to call their office at [phone]. Demand that they put their constituents above their party. After the call, tell us how the call went.