iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 22 million more people will be uninsured by the end of the next 10 years under the Senate Republican health care plan than under current law.

The number, which is only a slight improvement from the CBO’s estimate of the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives in May, comes in the office’s analysis of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, a discussion draft of which was first released last week. The act, which faces opposition from Democrats and at least five Republicans, would further result in a reducing the cumulative federal deficit by $321 billion by 2026.

The number of uninsured would increase by 15 million people in 2018 under the Senate plan as opposed to the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans have vowed to “repeal and replace.” That number increases to 19 million in 2020 before the 22 million mark by 2026.

Less spending on Medicaid, a point of contention for a number of senators when the plan was released last week, would lead to a 16 percent drop in enrollment for the government-funded program.

The analysis is the first for the Better Care Reconciliation Act, the discussion draft of which was updated Monday. The House of Representatives narrowly passed its version of a health care law, the American Health Care Act, in early May.

The Senate plan notably eliminates the individual mandate to purchase insurance and allows states to opt out of other ACA provisions. The bill differs from the House legislation by not including language to waive essential benefits coverage.

The final CBO review of the AHCA before its passage in the House estimated that 23 million more Americans would be uninsured by 2026 than under the current law, while reducing the federal deficit by over $330 million in the 10 years from 2017 to 2026.

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