Good News: As I Type This, CBO is Scoring Rep. Weiner's Single Payer Amendment

[berni_mccoy]

From Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/10/20/795269/-CB...

CBO Scoring Rep Weiner's Single Payer: Update
by Regina in a Sears Kit House


Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 11:48:31 AM PDT

Hello everyone. I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I called Rep. Anthony Weiner's NY-09 office then at their request the DC office.

Me: Is Rep. Weiner's Single Payer amendment going to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office?
Nice person: Let me check.
Nice person: Yes, it's being scored right now. The rumor that the amendment will not come to the floor is not true. Any floor item must be scored.
Me: May I post this on DKos?
Nice person: You bet.
NY-09 Nice person: We sure have noticed a lot of comments about Rep. Weiner on the site.
Me: We like his outspoken support and straight talk about insurance companies and Single Payer.

I told them that it wouldn't surprise me if the cost was the best of all the bills on HCR. They both said they sure hope so.

This is a portion of an email letter I sent this August when we though all was lost...below the fold.

I suspect, as many do, that this Amendment will be the least expensive of all the HCR options to implement. That being said, I don't believe that it will be in the final bill, but it will smash any resistance to a Single Payer or PO solution based on cost.

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the update, berni_mccoy.

[redqueen]

2. It's an amendment though right?

I hope this goes well... thanks for the update.

[Oregone]

4. Yeah, but its doesn't really amend so much

Rather it replaces the current piece of shit.

[truedelphi]

6. My sentiments exactly. n/t

[berni_mccoy]

5. Yes, I adjusted my headline and comments to avoid confusion. Thanks.

[slipslidingaway]

18. First it was an amendment, last week Weiner's office told me it...

was Not an amendment, that it was a bill.

This afternoon they say it is an amendment.

It's something.

[Oregone]

3. But it should cost more federally, though lower per capita expenses nation-wide

As long as the funding mechanism covers additional expenses, then it should at least be deficit neutral.

This will be good to have done, at least.

[Qutzupalotl]

11. Is the higher federal cost due to its covering more people (i.e., everyone)?

If so, that would bear repeating every time the numbers are mentioned.

[Oregone]

25. Spending is shifted from personal/emploer to government

Less is spent but the government portion probably increases (though 60% or so of healthcare spending is already government, and if you decrease per capita costs enough, the increase wont be substantial)

[Norrin Radd]

7. kr

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Excellent. We have waited long enough for this number!!

[seafan]

9. Weiner's office: CBO analysis of Single-Payer 676 apparently underway right now.

Finally, we're seeing some action.


It's the sweating it out that's difficult.



Keeping a watchful eye....

[Cleita]

12. Woohoo, that is good news!n/t

[Ruby the Liberal]

15. I thought Weiner's was the amendment to 3200?

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think 676 was referred to CBO

[slipslidingaway]

20. My understanding is that it is not HR 676. n/t

[Oregone]

26. It to replace the current bill with HR 676

He tried to bring it up in committee for, I think, HR 3200, and was given an opportunuty to bring it to the floor for the final bill. Anyone that sees an error there, let me know

[Ruby the Liberal]

27. Thanks. nt

[seafan]

28. Weiner said to Ed Schultz on August 10 that it was HR 676 that they requested analysis for...

Rep. Anthony Weiner: 'The CBO is performing a cost analysis of Single Payer over the August recess.', August 10. 2009 on Ed's radio program, approximately 1:15 EDT.


(archive of August shows--need to subscribe, I think--)



If the specific amendment under CBO review has changed, I don't know.


It is possible that BOTH 676 and 3200 are being evaluated, I suppose.


But, I'll take some good news when I can!

[Cleita]

10. ...

[TheKentuckian]

13. K&R this is a critical step to moving the national conversation

I don't see SP now at all but if this comes out as I suspect then we can use it as a hammer to move the country in the right direction over time.

[BluinTX]

14. I hope this is good news.

It will depend upon how the cost is scored. To really gauge the true savings involved you'd have to take into account the burden of providing insurance on employers, the loss of productivity attributable to poor healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured, the high cost of the uninsured using emergency rooms as a last resort, the cost of unpaid medical bills and bankruptcies, the loss of tax revenue from deductible employer paid premiums coupled with tax-free benefits received by employees (a rarity under the Internal Revenue Code), the waste created by 25% to 35% profit margins in the for-profit insurance industry, as well as the potential for a huge infusion of good paying jobs being added to the health care sector to take care of all the new health care consumers with good insurance.

If all of that is taken into account, plus other factors that I am sure I have ommited, there is no way single payer isn't far less expensive in the long run.

[JimWis]

16. Thanks so much for sharing what you found out. K&R

[slipslidingaway]

17. I read that back in August, last week the CBO finally returned my calls...

posted here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

I've been told by Weiner's office that it is an amendment, then last week they said it was a bill, now they just told me it is an amendment.

When I asked if there was any new information since last week she said nothing has changed.

It has been sent to the CBO, but as the CBO explained to me last week, they are not obligated to score anything unless it has been reported out of committee.

I think we'll get some estimate, but it will be close to the time of the vote, the Democrats are in no hurry to have this information in the hands of the public.


Tue Oct-13-09 ...

From CBO today, they are only required to give estimates for bills that are reported out of committee.

Weiner may have asked for a score, but unless it is reported out of committee or pushed for a score by committee chairs or someone in a position of authority then many times they are not scored.

She said they try and work with members of Congress on other estimates, but even if they did that the estimate would not be published.

They have a staff of 250 and 50 people have been working solely on HC for months.

In summary someone needs to make it a priority for CBO and that has not been done.


From August 10, 2009

"Rep. Anthony Weiner: 'The CBO is performing a cost analysis of Single Payer over the August recess.'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[Ruby the Liberal]

21. So has it been reported out?

"scoring it right now" can also mean "it has been submitted to them, but they haven't looked at it yet" if you go by the interpretation you added here.

[slipslidingaway]

22. No, as far as I know no committee has voted on this amendment/bill and...

they are only charged with giving estimates on bills that have been reported out of committee.

Of course the leaders have some pull, but it is obviously not a priority.

Exactly, scoring it right now could very well mean it has been submitted, along with thousands of other requests sitting in a pile somewhere.



She said they are swamped, if there is going to be a vote then some estimate will be given, although it may not be detailed.

I started following up on this in August, after I read the first post here about it being scored, I figured that anyone who had been pushing for an estimate would automatically back off and wait...most likely that is what many people have done.



And it has now been over two months.

[Ruby the Liberal]

23. It doesn't sound like what we originally thought then.

[slipslidingaway]

24. I think we'll get some estimate close to the vote, but there is no new news. n/t

[ljm2002]

19. Thanks for the update, that's good news...

...I actually was sure they would score it, having watched the committee session where Weiner was notified that it would be scored.

But they sure took their sweet time...

[annabanana]

29. . . . . . .fiigures I can't wait to see!. . . . . . n/t

[DireStrike]

30. Fingers crossed... no reason it shouldn't come out cheaper.

[slipslidingaway]

31. From the comment section at DK, the OP states that Weiner has...

submitted HR 676 to the CBO...that is not what I was told by Weiner's office. They said it would be similar, but Weiner wanted to make some changes.



"Do you have details on what exactly this amendment consists of?..."

by elwior on Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 12:32:20 PM PDT


"HR 676, the entire bill, word for word. Yay."

by Regina in a Sears Kit House

[seafan]

32. Just read that too. Here is another comment by the writer of the original Kos diary.

From Regina:

The rumor according to one staff person is that this amendment won't come to the floor for a vote. He said not true.

I assume it's an inside the beltway rumor, unless it's making the right wing circuit.


The brief history is:

Rep. Weiner was going to offer the HR 676 language as an amendment to Waxman's committee bill.

Waxman and Pelosi asked Rep. Weiner to withdraw, and they promised him the opportunity to offer it as a floor vote.

This move I believe forced a CBO score for Single Payer, which as we all know wasn't getting any traction.

This has been my hope, and I have checked in every so often. Until today, no answer.


----by Regina in a Sears Kit House on Tue Oct 20, 2009 at 01:10:00 PM PDT

This looks like HR 676 for sure. Hope so.



Now we'll see if the CBO is pressured to use "Karl's Math" for the final score....

[slipslidingaway]

33. I've called Weiner's office so many times, in fact today they told me...

I called twice last week, they do keep records, I thought it was only once.



We have been hearing about this for over two months, I've been told it is an amendment, then a new bill and today an amendment. His staff has never been particularly courteous IMO, quite the opposite at times. As the staffer told me today, there are no changes since last week and do not know when a score will be given.

I've never been told that it is HR 676, similar... but not word for word.

We'll get some type of estimate shortly before the vote is my prediction, the Dems are certainly in no hurry to get this done. They have done everything they can to bury discussion of a Not for Profit system.

[NYC_SKP]

34. Great news! kick, rec, nt

[seafan]

35. Morning kick. n/t

[Tippy]

36. Best news I had in a long time......K&R...n/t