Ezra Klein: CBO Estimates House Bills--95%+ Covered, Cost $905 Billion, with Strongest Public Plan

[flpoljunkie]

CBO Estimates The House Bills: 95%+ Covered, About $900 Billion, And Public Plans

Lori Montgomery reports that the House has gotten its new CBO scores, and they look pretty good: $905 billion for the more generous package that also includes the strongest public plan, and $859 billion for the less generous package that carries the weaker public plan. Both bills push total coverage up above 95 percent of legal residents, which is to say, above the mark hit by the Senate Finance Committee's bill.

It's a bit hard to say anything more about the bills until the new scores are actually released. In general, the stronger public plan saves money, but Montgomery reports that the plan containing it also has more generous insurance requirements, more subsidies for private health insurance, and fewer people on Medicaid, which is presumably why it's pricier. We'll know more when the details become public.

By Ezra Klein | October 16, 2009

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/10/cbo_estimates_the_house_bills.html

[ej510]

1. Get rid of the subsidies for the insurance industry a save more money.

[flpoljunkie]

2. We need public option to drive down the cost of insurance, and thus, taxpayer cost of subsidies

[xchrom]

3. ...

:grr: :nuke: :grr: bribing companies to do the right fucking thing

'but Montgomery reports that the plan containing it also has more generous insurance requirements, more subsidies for private health insurance, and fewer people on Medicaid, which is presumably why it's pricier.'

[blm]

4. K&R....

this needs to spread

[ProSense]

5. This is good. Still, the CBO scored the

the HELP bill at 97 percent.

[TomCADem]

6. How Does Either Bill Do On The Deficit Front?

The cost is not as important as whether or not the bill is deficit neutral or better. For example, single payer could be more costly in terms of federal costs, since everything becomes a governmental expense, BUT it is also cheaper, because you eliminate all the private insurance costs.

[depakid]

7. But, but,, then Max Baucus & Kent Conrad can't pad their pockets

And Harry Reid would split his pants.

Sorry Barack- but these are indeed bad people.

[Lochloosa]

8. Medicare Part E

Fuck 'em

[eridani]

9. If we have to wait four years for it, it's usless

Just let people voluntarily buy into Medicare! All set up and everything--no waiting.