CBO: Alexander-Murray Would Reduce Deficit by $3.8B
Number of insured Americans would not substantially change
The Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday health care legislation proposed by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion and not substantially affect the number of insured Americans.
The nonpartisan CBO said in a report that a bipartisan health care effort from Alexander of Tennessee and Murray of Washington would cut costs by $3.8 billion from 2018 to 2027.
The proposal recently drew fire from a number of Republicans and President Donald Trump over cost-sharing reduction subsidies that the federal government pays to insurance companies to keep costs down for low-income individuals.
Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch and Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady announced an alternative to fund the health care law’s cost-sharing reduction payments with conservative changes to the law, including relief from the individual and employer mandates. The two said they will release legislative text in the coming days.