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How to Read the C.B.O. Score of the Health Bill Like an Expert - The New York Times

posted onMay 25, 2017
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Article snippet: Today, the Congressional Budget Office will issue important numbers about the House-passed version of the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill to repeal and replace portions of the Affordable Care Act. Although the budget office had analyzed an early version of the bill, the House on May 4 took the unusual step of voting before the budget office could gauge how several last-minute amendments might affect the deficit or the number of uninsured. Senate leadership has vowed to make major changes to the House bill. But a detailed accounting of the House bill’s effects will still guide the legislative process. As we did when the budget office first scored the Republican proposal, we sought the advice of a panel of former C.B.O. directors, consultants and other budget experts to help us predict what the budget office would say. We also asked them the No. 1 question they’d be looking for the score to answer. Here are their big questions and best guesses at answers. They will help you read the report like an expert, too. In practical terms, this is the most important question that the C.B.O. needs to answer for the bill to move forward. Republicans are passing their health overhaul bill through a special budget process in order to avoid a filibuster in the Senate. That process comes with a number of special rules. One is that the bill must not increase the federal deficit beyond a 10-year window. Our entire panel thought the bill would still hit that target. But... Link to the full article to read more

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