Republican health care plan creates budget problems for GOP

WASHINGTON – Republicans intent on scrapping Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act have a budget problem.

As it turns out, repealing and replacing the law they hate won’t save nearly as much money as getting rid of it entirely, the goal they’ve been campaigning on for seven years. That means trouble for the federal deficit and for Congress’ fiscal conservatives who repeatedly warn about leaving their children and grandchildren worse off financially.

President Donald Trump and other GOP leaders know they can’t just get rid of what they call “Obamacare.” So they’ve come up with a bill they insist would give Americans more choices on health coverage.

But it only reduces the deficit by $337 billion over a decade and doesn’t move the federal budget much closer to being balanced.