Pelosi Statement on New CBO Score on Health Reform Legislation

Pelosi Statement on New CBO Score on Health Reform Legislation

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Contact: Brendan Daly/Nadeam Elshami/Drew Hammill, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. --Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today on the score issued last night by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the America's Affordable Health Choices Act:

"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."

Note -- From the Tri-Committees' news release issued last night in response to the CBO score:

"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 â€Å"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."