GOP Sen. Says Sanders Accused O’Care Repeal Supporters Of Murder

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 21: Senator Orin Hatch, R-Utah., chats with a reporter by a bank of elevators outside the Senate chamber after a vote in the US Capitol, on March 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. Sen. Hatch has been... WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 21: Senator Orin Hatch, R-Utah., chats with a reporter by a bank of elevators outside the Senate chamber after a vote in the US Capitol, on March 21, 2013 in Washington, DC. Sen. Hatch has been serving since 1977. Reporters and photographers know they can catch members of Congress here for a quick interview as they enter or leave the chamber. (Photo by Melanie Stetson Freeman/The Christian Science Monitor MORE LESS
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Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) on Friday said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had accused supporters of Senate Republicans’ Obamacare repeal bill of murder.

Hatch, who is chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, was responding to a tweet in which Sanders claimed “Thousands of people will die if the Republican health care bill becomes law.”

The debate over charged political rhetoric became especially tense on June 14, when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball team practice in Alexandria, Virginia.

After hearing that the alleged shooter volunteered for his presidential campaign, Sanders took to the Senate floor to denounce violence, saying he was “sickened” by the shooting, and adding: “Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society, and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through non-violent action, and anything else runs counter to our most deeply-held American values.”

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated in May that 23 million fewer people would have insurance by 2026 under the House Obamacare repeal bill, versus the status quo.

The CBO said Thursday that they would aim to have an estimate of Senate Republicans’ proposal out by “early next week.”

A 2009 study conducted at Harvard Medical School and Cambridge Health Alliance estimated that lack of health insurance caused 44,789 excess deaths per year, and that working-age Americans without health insurance were significantly more likely to die than those with health insurance.

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