Counting the Cost

by Kerby Anderson, Point of View: How much will health care reform cost the American people? You get very different answers depending upon who you ask. The establishment media has been eager to publish the numbers generated by the Democratic proponents of health care reform but less interested in publishing the dollar estimates from others. Now that the House has passed a health care reform bill, analysts have been taking stock of many of the last-minute amendments that were added to the bill. Stephen Moore concludes that "it may turn out to be one of the most expensive bills in the history of Congress."

According to a re-scoring that the Republican staff of the Senate Budget Committee (based on Congressional Budget Office data), the ten-year price tag of the House bill would be nearly $3 trillion when the benefit provisions of the bill are phased in 2013-2014. This is almost twice the original estimates provided for this bill. Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire almost joined President Obama's cabinet. Nevertheless, he was quite critical of the health care bill and felt this new report "sheds light on the blue smoke and mirrors" the House Democrats have been playing. In his interview with Stephen Moore he said: "I am shocked at how fiscally irresponsible this bill is. I've never seen anything like it."

Over in the House of Representatives, a similar analysis has taken place. Paul Ryan of the House Budget Committee says the bill saves money in the short term "by frontloading the tax increases and backloading the new spending." He points out that the ten-year cost estimates are "only" $1.7 trillion, but that's because the spending doesn't start until 2013. And Representative Ryan reminds us that: "There has almost never been a new entitlement program that has come under cost." If these budget committee estimates are correct, then the American taxpayers should pay attention. At the time when our economy is in such bad shape, we cannot afford an additional $3 trillion. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.

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