Fox News
The CBO has dealt a death blow to opponents of a public option by giving an estimate of a House bill which contains what's been called "a robust" public option that budgets out to $871 billion over ten years and reduces the deficit.
The CBO estimate remove some of the sticking points for conservative Democrats, the so called "Blue Dogs" who were concerned about its cost and whether it would add to the deficit. Those Democrats were holding out for a government run insurance option that would allow for rates to be negotiated directly with doctors and hospitals. But the CBO estimated that version wouldn't save as much money as the one in the current House bill.
The CBO estimate of $871 billion comes in under the $900 billion target that Obama set for a health care bill and with the CBO estimating it will not only be deficit neutral but actually reduce the deficit, the last hurdles has been jumped with regards to Democrats in congress sitting on the fence.
It is also reduces the focus on Olympia Snowe, the only Republican to vote for the Baucus health care bill which didn't contain a public option. Some Democrats had complained that too much was being made of her vote and that to drop a public option in the senate, which Snowe opposes, simply to claim some Republican support wasnt worth the price.
Some senate aides estimated that a senate bill with a public option already had 52-54 votes, more than the 51 needed. The number 60 has been bandied about by the news media and some Democrats, but that number is only needed to break a Republican filibuster. It would be an incredible sign of weakness on the part of Harry Reid and Obama if they couldn't get Democrats who might oppose a bill with a public option, to at least vote to allow the bill to be brought to the floor for an up or down vote.
But with the new CBO estimates on the House bill, it is unlikely there will be any strong Democratic opposition and the concern about reconciling a House bill with a public option with a senate bill without one has now been all but eliminated. The Republican argument against a public option, that it would put insurance companies out of business has always fallen on deaf ears among Democrats and has no traction in the country where there is no sympathy for insurance companies.
The offcial CBO numbers are due to be released on Wednesday but Pelosi has noted that these are estimates and not final. However they go a long way to insuring a government run public option will be in a final health care bill and will pass.
Comments
I read elsewhere that the $871 Billion is over ten years. That's like 87.1 billion per year.
So what's the whole story? Where is the complete report?
Also, HR3200 specified that the public option would be self funded. So, where does this 87.1 Billion per year come from?
Does it have something to do with $2 trillion in start up capital to fund the public option that is paid back on an amortized schedule over ten years?
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