According to Jonathan Cohn at TNR, the CBO score is in, and it looks good.
Democrats in the administration and Congress have agreed on a set of amendments to the Senate health care bill. And, according to House leadership, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is certifying that the amendments will reduce the deficit. That should fulfill the parliamentary requirements of the reconciliation process, satisfy the demands of many nervous Democrats, and clear the way for the House to vote on health care reform.
Overall, according to leadership aides, the underlying Senate health care bill plus the amendments will reduce the deficit by $130 billion in the first ten years and $1.2 trillion in the second ten years. Democrats are calling it the “biggest deficit reduction measure in 25 years”–that is, since the 1993 Clinton budget.
This news should ease the anxiety of reform critics, both in Congress and beyond, who worry that health care reform will bankrupt the government or the country.
Looks like maybe we’re finally moving again. Nancy Pelosi had at one time said she wanted to post the bill 72 hours prior to a vote, but this is not binding. I think the hope is still to have a vote Saturday, and a bill for the President to sign before he leaves for Indonesia and Australia on Sunday. Hopefully, actually seeing the numbers and getting the CBO’s blessing will alleviate some of the misgivings of the Blue Dogs. We’ll also have to wait and see exactly how these savings were created.