CBO: Senate health bill costs $871 billion

The Hill ^

[Sub-Driver]

CBO: Senate health bill costs $871 billion By Michael O'Brien - 12/19/09 12:00 PM ET

The Senate's healthcare bill would cost $871 billion and cover 31 million more Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the bill.

The CBO said that the final legislation, unveiled Saturday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would cost $871 billion over the next 10 years and reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the same period. That's more than the first Senate bill had cost.

Roughly 31 million Americans would receive new coverage under the legislation.

The final Senate bill will cost more than the 2,074-page bill first unveiled by Reid last month. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said that bill would cost $848 billion over 10 years.

That bill contained an opt-our public option for consumers, a provision that was eliminated in the current bill.

The House healthcare bill, which passed 220-215 last month, checked in at a final tally of 2,014 pages. The CBO pegged that bill's cost at $894 billion over 10 years though it found that the measure would not add to the federal deficit over that same period.

Republicans had demanded that the bill be available to the public on the Internet a full 72 hours before the House voted on a final version, a demand the GOP has also made of the Senate bill.

The Senate legislation has changed during 17 days of debate and amendments, most notably in Reid's decision to drop the opt-out public option provision in favor of one that would allow individuals between ages 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare.

[Sub-Driver]

just swell..............

[VanDeKoik]

“would cost $871 billion over the next 10 years and reduce the deficit by $132 billion over the same period.”

Can someone explain to me how the hell this is even possible?

[Kenny]

That bill contained an opt-our public option for consumers, a provision that was eliminated in the current bill.

I've lost track, no more ability to opt-out?

[bergmeid]

It’s not. Count on several trillion.

[Hostage]

So is the public option in or out?

[Thebaddog]

Where exactly is that deficit reduction coming from again? The seniors?

[screaminsunshine]

It is not. They are going to add 20 million illegal aliens next year with the Amnesty bill.

[penelopesire]

Apparently Bernie Madoff’s accountant found a job at the CBO.

[MNJohnnie]

It assumes that the Congress actually makes cuts later to Medicare to pay for it. The problem is the cuts will never be made. In addition, “10 years” is misleading. It doesn't start for 4 years while the taxes start immediately so the actually costs are fraudulently hidden by an Enron style accounting gimmick

[OafOfOffice]

Once it leaves the senate and the house puts back in their demands, it will be close to 2 trillion.

I am absolutely shocked that the border states will now take on the added expense of expanded medicare and probably medicaid. It is killing us now with illegals costs in uncompensated healthcare.

Last night on PBS, a guy said he would vote for the HC bill because it will end democrats in office for a long time. Is that the silver lining for us?

[ColdOne]

$871 billion over the next 10 years!!! How about the next 5 min. These folks are unstop able It is hard to watch them. Phones , polls, us , they do not care. TOTAL POWER is all they see.

[hennie pennie]

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

[tflabo]

Reduce the deficit? Don’t believe it-—they can’t even run the US Postal Service without it being in the red. Add in the influx of illegals access to healthcare and we have a disaster of mammoth proportions to finance healthcare.

[dhs12345]

I really wonder if the politicians are trying to desensitize us to the word “billion.”

Heck, the new word being tossed around like it is nothing is “trillion.”

A billion dollars is a HECK of a lot of money. A thousand billion is a trillion.

[EGPWS]

Can someone explain to me how the hell this is even possible?

The principles of FM apply.

F**king Magic.

[kosciusko51]

Which bill is this? How can the CBO score a bill that senate has even seen?

[kosciusko51]

Which bill is this? How can the CBO score a bill that senate has not even seen?

[EGPWS]

They are going to add 20 million illegal aliens next year with the Amnesty bill.

And guarantee 20 million new dimocrat votes because of it.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

They sent down bogus figures they knew would work in their favor, and the CBO cooperated, knowing who their overlords are. The CBO never looks at the bill itself, they just take the word of whoever gives them the numbers.

Smoke & mirrors.........

[mazda77]

It’s simple. Just collect the taxes for four years while those same taxpayers are still paying for the heathcare coverage they currently have. Add to it no outlays and that skews the 10 year projections avoiding what it would cost in 12 and beyond exponetially expanding to make medicare waste and fraud look like kindergarten fingerpainting classes.