3.14.17 

Suggested lead:  The Congressional Budget Office has released its analysis of the proposed Republican healthcare plan, and judging by the numbers, it doesn’t favor Washington state. Dan Frizzell has that story.

Wrap (:75 total): 

CHOPP: "We’re really pleased that Marie and also Senator Patty Murray have been very firm in opposition to this horrible plan to cut hundreds of thousands of people off of health care." [:10]

That’s Washington state Speaker of the House Frank Chopp.  A Seattle Democrat, he’s not a fan of the Trump-Ryan plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office says the Republican plan would cause 24 million people in the U.S. to lose their medical insurance.  Just here in Washington, between a half and three quarters of a million people who currently have insurance would lose it.  Chopp isn’t ready to give up yet.

CHOPP: "Our fundamental thing is that we’ve got to fight back against this horrible proposal and we’ve got to make sure that people have health care. It’s extremely important for the future of the state.  Not only in terms of the care for the individual and their families, but also the financial burden it puts on to people.  That’s not sustainable on an average person’s budget." [:17]

Chopp, who created Apple Health several years ago in a quest to insure every Washington child, said one possible option if Obamacare is ultimately destroyed is to resurrect Washington’s Basic Health Plan.  The BHP was a model for some of the Affordable Care Act, and helped low-income and uninsurable Washingtonians access health care for more than 25 years.  In Olympia, I'm Dan Frizzell.