Major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by moving our economy for 160 years. Bnsf, the engine that connects us. And the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. Supported by the rockefeller foundation. Promoting the wellbeing of humanity around the world by building resilience and inclusive economies. More at rockefellerfoundation. Org and with the ongoing support of these institutions and individuals. This program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Woodruff the Congressional Budget Office is out tonight with its analysis of the Republican Health care bill. It includes the nonpartisan agencys best estimates on cost, coverage and other issues. Lisa desjardins has been looking at the numbers, and joins me now. Lisa, whats the headline here . There are several, but a very big one, what will this mean for Health Insurance coverage for americans in the Congressional Budget Office found this republican bill in just the first year, next year, would mean some 14 million americans who have insurance now would not have it, the ranks of the uninsured would go up and continue to go up, next year because the mandate ends, they say. So people would choose no longer to have coverage because there is no mandate penalty. That shifts in 2024, where we see now another 24 million americans or total of 24 million americans over now uninsured because of largely medicaid cuts. Woodruff you were telling me members of congress and the white house have been commenting. We had Quick Reaction from congressional democrats. Starting with House Minority leader nancy pelosi. The c. B. O. Reported that the republican bill pushes 24 Million People out of healthcare, out of health coverage. This is a remarkable figure. It speaks to eloquent rito the cruelty of a bill that the speaker calls an act of mercy. I dont know if he thinks h its an act of mercy to all the people who will lose coverage and republicans didnt waste time either. The white house new health and Human Services secretary tom price spoke. He thinks these numbers on cbo coverage are wrong. It basically says we will be right back at preobamacare status with about 40 Million People uninsured in this country. We believe that the plan that were putting in place is going to insure more individuals than currently are insured. So we think that cbo simply has it wrong. Woodruff so, lisa, cbo, Congressional Budget Office looks at premiums and their costs. This is a mixed bag. Lets look at what the cbo found there. In the next two years the Congressional Budget Office found this plan will increase premiums overall because Healthy People will leave. The mandate penalty is removed and people who dont have to have care will leave. But after that, they say, the reamums will actually go down and thats because there will be more choices, that there will no longer be the bronze, silver plans. There will be bare bones insurance plans that are not allowed, more people will choose them, premiums will go down. But one important note, they think its by age, so premiums will likely go up for Older Americans in general. Woodruff the people we should be paying tension to across the board. What tact the budget . The cbo found something republicans like, they say this republican plan would save over 300 billion in the deficit over the next teen years. Out it do that . Well, a large part of at the is the medicaid cuts, over 800 billion in medicaid cuts. But republicans for a long time felt medicaid spending was out of control. Theyre reining it in here. Thats going to be a very big debate. Woodruff i know you only had an hour or two to look at this, came out at 4 00 eastern this. Well continue to look at the impact to have the cbo report. Thank you. Pleasure. Woodruff in the days other news, the northeast braced for a late winter snow storm that could bring up to 20 inches of snow tonight. A blizzard watch is in effect through tomorrow evening for new york city, parts of new jersey and connecticut. Preparations were under way today in new york and elsewhere, with mayors urging people to stay inside and not take chances. This kind of snow coming down this intensely again its dangerous, itll be dangerous to be on the road, want to urge everyone now to make plans to not be out on the roads tomorrow. First and foremost for your own safety, but second and very important so that all of the good people at the Sanitation Department can do their jobs and clear the roads. Woodruff even before it arrived, the storm caused disruptions. Airlines canceled some 6,000 flights, and new york city called off school tomorrow. The state of washington went to federal court today, to stop President Trumps revised travel ban. The executive order temporarily blocks refugees and travelers from six muslimmajority countries. California is joining washingtons suit, along with minnesota, new york and oregon. Hawaii has already filed its own challenge. The white house is now saying the president was not speaking literally when he accused president obama of wiretapping trump tower. Adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested over the weekend that it might have been some other form of surveillance, but she acknowledged today she has no evidence. Later, press Secretary Sean Spicer followed up at the white house briefing. He doesnt really think that president obama went up and tapped his phone personally. But i think that theres no question that in the Obama Administration that there were actions about surveillance and other activities that occurred in the 2016 election. The president used the word wiretap in quotes to mean broadly surveillance and other activities. Woodruff the House Intelligence Committee also asked that the Justice Department to provide any evidence of wiretapping by today. The u. S. Senate moved this evening to confirm seema verma to oversee medicare and medicaid. The indiana healthcare consultant will be charged with directing key changes, if Congressional Republicans push through heir replacement for obamacare. In syria, last year was the most dangerous yet for children, since the civil war began six years ago. The u. N. Childrens reef agency, unicef, reports at least 652 syrian children were killed in 2016. Thats up 20 from 2015. The number recruited to fight, doubled, to more than 850, with some acting as executioners and suicide bombers. The u. S. Military confirms its begun deploying attack drones to south korea, to counter what it calls north koreas continued provocative actions. The move follows pyongyangs recent nuclear and missile tests. And, it comes just days after the pentagon sent an advanced antimissile system to the south. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon called today for a new referendum on independence. Sturgeon spoke in edinburgh, and said most scots oppose leaving the european union, and thats cause to reconsider independence. Right now, were on a path not just to brexit but to hard brexit that will have profound implications for our economy, our society, our culture, our place in the world, sense of who we are. And we have no control over that. We voted against it but nevertheless that is the direction the uk government is intent on taking us in. Woodruff in a 2014 referendum, 55 of scottish voters rejected independence. The British Parliament would have to authorize a new vote. And on wall street, stocks mostly searched for direction. The Dow Jones Industrial average lost 21 points to close at 20,881. The nasdaq rose 14 points, and the s p 500 added about a point. Still to come on the newshour the costs of the republican plan to replace obamacare. The fog in foggy bottom the low profile of secretary of state Rex Tillerson. Crisis in south sudan famine and civil unrest strike the worlds newest nation, and much more. Woodruff now, reaction to the c. B. O. s analysis of the Republican Health care bill. As we said, 24 million fewer people would be insured after a decade. And it would reduce the deficit by more 300 billion over 10 years. John yang gets some analysis now. Yang and for that, we turn to two experts who watch this all closely zeke emmanuel, one of the original architects behind the Affordable Care act, or obamacare. Hes the chair of the department of medical ethics and Health Policy at the university of pennsylvania. And lanhee chen, a fellow at the Hoover Institution who advised mitt romney and marco rubio in their president ial campaigns. Gentlemen, welcome to you both. Dr. Emmanuel, the big headline, 24 million fewer with Health Insurance after a period after this. That is more than who were added to the rolls by obamacare. Whats your reaction . Well, by 2026, one in five americans are going to lack Health Insurance if this plan goes through according to the cbo, and lest americans think, oh, this is only people on medicaid or people who got obamacare, the cbo estimates 7 Million People who have employer insurance today will lose coverage. If youre getting coverage through your employer, its not guaranteed under this plan. The big positive news for the republicans sounds puny in comparison. All those people losing coverage and the deficit goes down 34 billion per year. This sounds like no home run at all for them, and a real albatross. One out of five americans, no Health Insurance, maybe thats acceptable in some places like texas, but i dont think across the country its something were going to find very tolerable. They also point out that the extensive coverage under this plan, what your insurance actually covers, is going to go down, so people will be responsible for more out of their own pocket. They will have skinnier Health Insurance, more deductibles. Again, that is something that has proven unpopular. Why the republicans want to encourage that is beyond pi comprehension. This points out its a loser bill. We need to go back to the drawing board and try to get a bipartisan bill. I think there is a compromise but only when the republicans give up on this kind of approach. Yang lanhee chen, an albatross, loser bill . What do you say . I would argue this bill is a good start. Its not perfect, improvements need to be made, but lets start with a couple of things. Obviously, the Congressional Budget Office estimates reveal the bill will cut the deficit and spending over the next ten years and provide almost 1 trillion in tax relief over the next ten years, so those are points you will hear supportive. On the coverage numbers, the 24 million is a big number. I think they have work to do there. The challenge, is without an individual mandate, without a massive and costly expansion to medicaid, youre not going to see the same kind of coverage numbers you saw out of the Affordable Care act. I think republicans need to be willing to accept that at least, as presently constituted, their plan is not going to get to the same levels. Now, the question becomes are people going to have more choices . Are premiums going down . Indeed the c. B. O. Report finds in 2020 the amount will go down and there will be more choices. Consumers might want skinny down plans because they dont want the excessive mandates required by the Affordable Care act. So its a reasonable response to what weve seen from the overregulation created by the aca in the last ten years. In the employer marketplace, the cbo when they estimated obamacare upon passage also noted Many Americans would lose their coverage in the employer marketplace. Its not unusual to see shifting between market places that its created by large scale reform such as the aca or the subject bill republicans are considering. 600 billion or so of this change is going to be tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 or 3 of americans, the insurance companies, the drug companies. Were going to see americans get less insurance. Lanhee chen said that. Which part of the essential benefits that the government is socalled mandating dont you want . Hospital care, emergency room care . Drug care . Doctor care . He would like for americans to choose the benefits they want. I dont believe it makes sense to give them the same plans across the board. Lain here, youre saying were taking away the money and letting you choose with no money. Healthcare is extremely expensive. 10,000 on average per american. It is and the Affordable Care act made it less affordable. The Affordable Care act did not make it less affordable, it made it more affordable. Year over year sounds less to me. The silver plan is low than the cbo predicted in 2010, we have been able to control healthcare costs and that has gone on. You tell me the one service on the essential benefits youre going to get rid of that will be better for people. Im not in the business of telling people what benefits they should and shouldnt have. Off the bottom ryan is what they plan to do is allow people to choose the plans there are things that i would choose that are not going to be the same things someone else would choose, thats the point. This is not a decision washington should be making and thats the point the supporters of the law have been making. At the end of the day the aca leaves the essential Healthcare Benefits in place because they cant be removed through reconciliation. You know that better than anybody else. Yang you talked about premiums would be going down but the cbo found there will be a difference by age if by 2026, premiums for a 21yearold would be 20 to 25 lower, for a 40yearold, 10 lower. For a 64 year old, one year before medicare, 20 to 25 higher. Yeah, the people who are sick and are need it are yang wait a minute. Rest let lanhee chen answer that. So t point is anytime you create a an insurance marketplace you will have people coming in and out, people of different ages. It is the case there will be variation across age categories. The Affordable Care act increased premiums significantly for younger people, brought premiums down for older people because of the way the law was structured. So always winners and losers, we have to take look at exactly what happens. But what the republican proposal does is to create an additional subsidy to help people who are older. You could arguably tweak the subsidy to give them more support, but the notion there will be differences in costs of premiums across age is not prizing when you have large health reform. Yang 30 seconds to respond. You take the subsidies way down so you give people less money to buy insurance. This is a double whammy which is were going to allow the premiums to go up and, by the way, the amount of coverage is going to go down because the essential benefits are going down. So and we should also mention that by essential benefits arent touched by the law, you know that. Theyre actually going to send the premiums up for all people 15 to 20 . By 2026, yes, premiums for the younger will come down, but before that they will actually go up. So this is hardly a very good thing if youre going to say were going to make it, cover everyone and well make it cheaper. Its not going to be cheaper. Yang well have to leave it there. Dr. Emmanuel and lanhee chen, thanks for joining us. Woodruff thanks to both of them. Woodruff we want to hear what people think on all sides of the health care debate. If youre concerned about Health Care Reform, online find a brief questionnaire and share your experience. Woodruff secretary of state Rex Tillerson flies to asia tomorrow for highstakes visits to japan, south korea and china, as tensions in the region mount over north koreas missile and nuclear programs. But not flying with tillerson the state Department Press corps, a significant change from prior administrations. This comes amid reports that tillerson has been sidelined on some Major International issues, and that the white house wants to slash states budget by 37 . Here to walk us through all this is chief Foreign Affairs correspondent margaret warner. Margaret, welcome. So what do you make of all this . Judy, there is just no doubt this Rex Tillerson is the lowest profile secretary of state in modern times. He has not uttered a word publicly in the United States since arrival comments when he joined state on february 2. Overseas, he does give prepared remarks but never takes a question for reporters. His issue about taking the press corps on such an important trip began with Henry Kissinger who recognized it was very useful he could background reporters, get u. S. Policy out there, help shape the coverage. Im told the g20 meeting in germany where his prepared marks were very well received, private meeting with the Russian Foreign men stir sergey lavrov, but he didnt want to do a press difference with la lavrov. He went before the american reporters and read a short statement, took no questions. Here in washington, he has not been included in allied liters importa