CBO Pretty Much Gives Up On Scoring Obamacare

You don’t say

(Roll Call) For Democratic lawmakers who were hesitant to sign onto the sweeping 2010 health care law, one of the most powerful selling points was that the Affordable Care Act would actually reduce the federal budget deficit, despite the additional costs of extending health insurance coverage to the uninsured.

Four years after enactment of what is widely viewed as President Barack Obama’s key legislative achievement, however, it’s unclear whether the health care law is still on track to reduce the deficit or whether it may actually end up adding to the federal debt. In fact, the answer to that question has become something of a mystery.

In its latest report on the law, the Congressional Budget Office said it is no longer possible to assess the overall fiscal impact of the law. That conclusion came as a surprise to some fiscal experts in Washington and is drawing concern. And without a clear picture of the law’s overall financing, it could make it politically easier to continue delaying pieces of it, including revenue raisers, because any resulting cost increases might be hidden.

Hidden costs? Shocking!

(The Hill) It means that measuring the healthcare law’s effect on the budget deficit will be much more difficult, if not impossible. The CBO is normally the best source of information on bills’ projected fiscal effects. (snip)

The law also includes a variety of taxes and fees to raise revenue, some of which the CBO suggested it could no longer analyze.

In other words, this is messing with the economy so much that the CBO can’t analyze it. Or won’t. Or been told not too.

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20 Responses to “CBO Pretty Much Gives Up On Scoring Obamacare”

  1. […] William Teach has the shorter version of this story: […]

  2. Better_Be_Gumballs says:

    And, another WIN\WIN for Obama.

    People seeing the pessimistic side of it, but I see the reality. No one can then claim the law is bad or that it is hurting people (as the people know it is). They can claim, “you have no proof of that.” Like J and his uncle Harry Reid do.

  3. Jeffery says:

    g is descending into paranoid madness…

    The CBO scoring relates to the fiscal impact of the law, not if it’s helping or hurting people.

    Berg-hazi!!

  4. Better_Be_Gumballs says:

    So, you believe that a fiscal impact of a law has no bearing on whether it will hurt people financially?

  5. Jeffery says:

    g,

    No need to get defensive. I know you’re having a tough time lately with the Sgt. Bergdahl situation and with your water vapor embarrassment.

    So you think the CBO scoring will tell us the financial impact on individuals and families? You may be mistaken. CBO scoring concerns annual and longer term Federal expenditures and revenues. Did you really mean that the CBO scoring the 10 year impact of the ACA on the budget is a measure of people “hurting”.

    I didn’t think so either.

  6. david7134 says:

    Jeff,
    Gumballs is right, you are wrong. Explanation is not necessary as you would not understand.

  7. Better_Be_Gumballs says:

    He writes things, but has not clue what he is writing. if he did, he would realize it counters what he wrote in a previous sentence. And, round and round it goes with J.

    Unless J truly believes that a gov’t is run on fairy dust funding.

  8. […] William Teach has the shorter version of this story: […]

  9. Jeffery says:

    g,

    I have no doubt you’ve changed your story midstream, but that’s OK. I’ll concede the point that you were talking about the 10 year fiscal health of the nation. You are right.

  10. Better_Be_Gumballs says:

    Again I have to ask, you really think the CBO reporting on ACA since around 2010 that it would add $1Trillion to debt while cutting services, would not\does not harm people financially?

  11. Jeffery says:

    g,

    You forgot to cite any evidence that your claim is true. Am I supposed to take your word for it?

    How does federal debt harm people financially?

    What federal services were cut?

  12. Jeffery says:

    Here’s what the article that Teach cited said:

    “The CBO produced a full budgetary analysis of the law for the last time in 2012, concluding that repealing the Affordable Care Act would increase the deficit by $109 billion over 10 years.”

    According to the CBO, this means the ACA would CUT the yearly deficit a small amount, about $11 billion a year, not add $1 trillion to the debt.

    Do you think the CBO was wrong then, when they COULD measure expenses and revenues?

    Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/208314-cbo-to-stop-measuring-certain-o-care-effects#ixzz33u2IZeLS
    Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook

  13. Jeffery says:

    dave typed: “Gumballs is right, you are wrong. Explanation is not necessary as you would not understand.”

    dave, you are absolutely precious!

  14. Jeffery says:

    Hey Snowflake, g, j and d…

    Have you all given up all your Federal subsidies yet or do you continue to practice hypocrisy? Have you given up your use all Federal facilities and resources?

    How can liberals take you seriously on the deficit if you’re hypocritically contributing to it?

  15. Jl says:

    “Have you given up your use of federal facilities and resources?” You mean the ones we already paid for with our tax dollars? Now why would we do that?

  16. Jeffery says:

    j,

    You take more than you pay. We have a federal debt of some $17 trillion. I likely pay more in taxes than you make in a year, so the fact is that I’m supporting you. You’re welcome.

    When you completely give up your federal subsidies, we can talk.

  17. Better_Be_Gumballs says:

    You assume we take subsidies, which is OK since we always assume that always lie.

    It’s ok. It’s expected from a troll like you.

    First off, as America is America’s land, all lands are the people’s. The federal gov’t is the people. We can’t give it up even if we tried. Only thing that can happen is if the fed gov’t seizes it from us as they have been doing.

    And, I highly doubt you pay more in taxes that I make, or anyone makes in a year. Anyone who earns a living through hard work and pays taxes tends to NOT want to pay the high, and higher rates, of taxes that Socialism dictates.

    And no one can be as ignorant of life, liberty, the need for freedom, the need and joy of struggle, and the joy of personal creation, as you pretend to be.

  18. Jeffery says:

    g,

    You’re in America now, could you re-write that mess in English?

    I pay more in taxes than 94% of US wage-earners make.

    You’re welcome.

    http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/politicalcalculations/2013/09/29/what-is-your-us-income-percentile-ranking-n1712430/page/full

  19. Jl says:

    J-what federal subsidies am I receiving? Remember, a “subsidy” is money given to an individual or business. Tax breaks let you keep your own money. “I pay more in taxes than 94% of wage-earners make.” Which refutes nothing anybody else said. Try again.

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