Early yesterday I posted a key letter from the tri cmtes in the House announcing that the healthcare bill will in fact be deficit neutral and may indeed yield a surplus in funds. However-only the link to the 7-17 cbo review was provided. Being a late Friday the staffers, after a grueling week marking up this crucial bill they planned to post the statement Monday morning online. But after speaking with many of them on the Hill today they went on and took TIME FROM THEIR DAY OFF to post the information late this afternoon.
So important do folks in healthcare reform feel that the word gets out on the false meme on the CBO the Speaker added remarks on her blog this afternoon. I EXPRESS GRATITUDE TONIGHT TO THOSE STAFF MEMBERS!
The Speaker of the House below heralds these findings. The tri committee-with full letter below-explains how this bill is no threat to the deficit-undercutting the key anti reformist talking point.
Our job is to rebuff anywhere we can the notion that this bill will bankrupt America. Today I am happy to say that the key opposition ammo has been accurately rebuffed .
The pivotal moment is here. Time to end the 80 yr struggle for universal healthcare.
UPDATE: THE ADMIN PUSHED THE MEME HARD TODAY ON THE FALSE CBO SCORE. MORE BELOW..
Speaker Nancy Pelosi blog post:
http://www.speaker.gov/...
On The New CBO Score on Health Insurance Reform Legislation
July 18th, 2009 by Speaker Pelosi
The CBO report confirms that The America’s Affordable Health Choices Act delivers on a critical promise President Obama and the House have made to the American people: health insurance reform legislation will be paid for.
After an historic day yesterday when two out of three committees in the House passed the legislation, Congress has made major progress on health insurance reform that will put patients and doctors back in charge, ensure quality, affordable, and accessible health care for America’s middle class and control the spiraling costs of health care through innovative reforms.
As the legislative process moves forward, we will continue to look for ways to squeeze more savings out of the system.
# # #
Tricommittee release:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/...
See the Tri-Committees' news release issued last night in response to the CBO score: KEY EXCERPT HERE:
"The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released estimates this evening confirming for the first time that H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, is deficit neutral over the 10-year budget window – and even produces a $6 billion surplus...The estimates also cover important reinvestments in Medicare and Medicaid, including phasing in the closing of the "donut" hole in the Medicare drug benefit. The bill’s long-term reform of Medicare’s physician fee schedule to eliminate the potential 21 percent cut in fees, and put payments on a sustainable basis for the future, will cost about $245 billion. Those costs, however, are not included in the net calculations above, as they will be absorbed under the upcoming statutory 'pay go' legislation that is pending in the House."
Tricommittee release IN FULL:
http://www.speaker.gov/...
CBO Scores Confirm Deficit Neutrality of Health Insurance Reform Bill
July 18th, 2009 by Karina
News from the Energy & Commerce, Ways & Means, and Education & Labor Committees on the CBO estimates released last night on America’s Affordable Health Choices Act:
July 17, 2009
Washington, D.C. — The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released estimates this evening confirming for the first time that H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, is deficit neutral over the 10-year budget window - and even produces a $6 billion surplus. CBO estimated more than $550 billion in gross Medicare and Medicaid savings. More importantly, the bill includes a comprehensive array of delivery reforms to set the stage for lowering the future growth in health care costs.
Net Medicare and Medicaid savings of $465 billion, coupled with the $583 billion revenue package reported today by the House Committee on Ways and Means, fully finance the previously estimated $1.042 trillion cost of reform, which will provide affordable health care coverage for 97% of Americans.
"This fulfills the strong commitment of the President and House leadership to enact health reform on a deficit-neutral basis," said Chairmen Henry A. Waxman, Chairman Charles B. Rangel, and Chairman George Miller. "The reforms included in this legislation will help control health care costs and expand access to quality, affordable coverage to all Americans in fiscally-responsible manner."
The estimates also cover important reinvestments in Medicare and Medicaid, including phasing in the closing of the "donut" hole in the Medicare drug benefit. The bill’s long-term reform of Medicare’s physician fee schedule to eliminate the potential 21 percent cut in fees, and put payments on a sustainable basis for the future, will cost about $245 billion. Those costs, however, are not included in the net calculations above, as they will be absorbed under the upcoming statutory "pay go" legislation that is pending in the House.
Comment from Rep Stark's key aide from him to us on this CBO mess. Pretty simple:
Here's a link to the CBO letter: http://www.cbo.gov/...
"I'd say the release is better to give ... because it explains that $245B of this is going to be carved OUT of this from the paygo bill under consideration (but until that's law it'll count against us). So right now it says we're adding $239B to the deficit, not counting the $245B which is being carved out in the paygo bill we actually have $6B in savings."
7-19-09
washington post
Democrats Push Back on Unsavory Estimate
By John Amick
The Obama administration sent two of its top surrogates in the health-care reform debate to beat back recent projections by the Congressional Budget Office that current reform plans are not deficit neutral, and could possibly further expand the price tag of health care in America.
Repeating the line that President Obama will not sign legislation that isn't deficit neutral going forward, Director of the Office of Management and Budget Peter Orszag and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius both said today that legislation is currently incomplete, and cost-saving measures are being debated in congress and the White House.
"We're looking at what's happening with regard to new policy. And with regard to new policy, this is deficit neutral over the first decade," Orszag said on "Fox News Sunday," as Congress and the White House face prospects that health-care legislation in the House and Senate will not be settled by the August recess of Congress.
Orszag said the only reason the CBO projected the increase in the deficit (around $240 billion over 10 years) was because legislation maintained current payment rates for physicians under Medicare.
"It is keeping current Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors, which was always baked into the cake," Orszag said on CNN's "State of the Union." "Everyone anticipates that even absent health care reform, that would be taken care of. If you take that off the table, in terms of new policy, the House bill is deficit-neutral."
.....
"I think the single most important thing that's missing from the legislation at this point is our proposal for an independent commission of doctors to help the policy-making process be more flexible, lead to higher quality and lower costs over time," Orszag said on "State of the Union."
Sec. Sebelius wouldn't commit the administration to any proposals to tax the richest Americans, yet she said all "ideas are in play," and that the Obama administration is dedicated to keeping their word in paying for reform.
"In the last bill, the Medicare bill in 2003, billions of dollars of new drug benefits were provided for America's seniors. That's good news, they needed the drug benefit. Not a dime was paid for, not an effort to put any money on the table," Sebelius said on "Meet the Press," referring to a Republican-controlled congress and White House that ignored CBO standards in 2003 during debate over the Medicare Part D bill.
SEE-http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/07/19/democrats_push_back_on_unsavor.html?wprss=44