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U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday released changes to their healthcare bill, including a six-month waiting period for people who have let their insurance coverage lapse for over 63 days - about two months - and want to get insured again. (Cornwell, 6/26)

The change, intended to satisfy insurers and minimize the number of Americans who may drop their plans if the bill becomes law, received measured praise from some industry officials but sharp criticism from patient advocates. The move — the first in a series of changes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to make in the next few days — underscores the degree to which Republicans need to retool their health bill if they hope to pass it this week. (Eilperin and Sullivan, 6/26)

The Senate GOP health bill would repeal large portions of the Affordable Care Act, including a requirement that most people have coverage or pay a penalty. Without that mandate, insurers have been concerned that young and healthy people, who help offset the costs of older and sicker consumers, wouldn’t obtain coverage. That would push premium costs higher because the Senate legislation also requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing health conditions. Senate Health Bill's CBO Score Complicates PathThe Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate Republican health bill would leave 22 million more uninsured but cut $321 billion from federal deficit. WSJ's Shelby Holliday reports.The addition of the waiting period aims to fix that gap, mandating that people wait six months before getting coverage on the individual market. (Armour and Peterson, 6/26)

The most significant change is the inclusion of a new provision to encourage Americans to maintain continuous health-care coverage that would replace Obamacare’s individual mandate. The new provision would impose a six-month waiting period before new insurance goes into effect for anyone who had a break in coverage lasting 63 days or longer in the prior year. It would take effect beginning in 2019. (Litvan and Dennis, 6/26)

The only exceptions to the six-month waiting period would be for a child enrolled in coverage within 30 days of being born or for an adopted child under the age of 18 who is enrolled within 30 days of being adopted. (McIntire, 6/26)

Tim Jost, an emeritus law professor at Washington and Lee University, said the six-month lockout is likely to drive up bad debt for providers because many people who try to sign up after a cancer diagnosis, for instance, will still get treatment during that waiting period. "It will create some bankruptcies," he said, for people who went without insurance and then got sick. (Lee, 6/26)