Healthcare – the Senate version
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From DK: Word is leaking out from the Hill about the Senate’s HCR bill. The bill will be posted sometime this evening online at democrats.senate.gov. In the meantime, these are the rough outlines that have appeared as various senators spoke with reporters after their caucus meeting this evening.
The bill comes in at $849 billion over the next ten years, and is projected to cut the budget deficit by $127 billion over 10 years and by $650 billion in the second decade; it will extend guaranteed coverage to more than 94% of Americans — including a 31 million person reduction in the uninsured. [Update:In a briefing now with leadership staff: the CBO numbers aren't the official score, just the initial report. The full score still isn't available.] It’s not universal coverage, but it’s what we’re getting for now. The bill contains both an excise tax on high-value insurance plans and a 1.95% increase in the Medicare payroll tax for high-income earners. It also includes a public option with a state opt-out.
