Health Care Updates: Democrats, Republicans Respond To CBO Score

[cal04]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/18/health-care-updates-democ_n_504275.html

Ahead of the critical final vote on health care reform, Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives know that the bill's passage likely hinges on the ability to convince members who voted 'no' on health care reform last November to switch the positions.

As of Monday, Congress-watchers believed that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was somewhere between five and ten votes shy of the 216 she needs to get health care through. On Thursday, however, her prospects brightened. A Congressional Budget Office report showed that the legislation will save $138 billion in the next decade while expanding coverage to 32 million uninsured.

The new details about the bill spurred several fence-sitting lawmakers -- including two members of Congress who opposed health care reform last year -- to announce they would switch their votes.

Late in the afternoon, the Denver Post reported that Rep. Betsy Markey (D-Col.) would support the bill after having been one of 39 House members who opposed it this fall.

SOME EARLIER HEALTH CARE UPDATES:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/18/health-care-updates-democ_n_504275.html

Reps. Gordon and Markey switch from no to yes on health-care bill
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/reps-gordon-and-markey-switch.html?wprss=44

[Arkana]

1. Democrats are pleased, Republicans poop their drawers with anger.

[slipslidingaway]

2. How? The biggest portion comes from advance payments to a new long

term care plan.


"...Congressional Budget Office report showed that the legislation will save $138 billion in the next decade..."



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7946168&mesg_id=7946168

First 10 year deficit reduction lists 70 billion for new long term care plan
on page 18


Old post, still relevant ...

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/slipslidingaway/199

Both bills reduce the deficit because they collect money for a new long term care plan that will not have any cash outlays in the beginning years.

"The legislation includes a number of other provisions with a significant budgetary effect.

They include the following:

 Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) provisions, which
would establish a voluntary federal program for long-term care insurance. Active
workers could purchase coverage, usually through their employer. Premiums
would be set to cover the full cost of the program as measured on an actuarial
basis. However, the program’s cash flows would show net receipts for a number of
years, followed by net outlays in subsequent decades. In particular, the program
would pay out far less in benefits than it would receive in premiums over the
10-year budget window, reducing deficits by about $72 billion over that period,
including about $2 billion in savings to Medicaid..."