CBO finding few friends on health reform 'scoring'

Nov 3 2009

The Congressional Budget Office isn't making any friends in their treatment of the health care reform bills on either side of the aisle, with lawmakers complaining about its scope, timeline to deliver scores and murky cost estimates.

Roll Call: "Democrats have been annoyed at the CBO for deciding not to consider as savings the money spent on preventive health care measures. And both parties have voiced frustration with the CBO's pace, saying it's taking far too long for the agency to deliver essential cost estimates on their health care plans."

As of last week, Senate Democrats were "were bristling at a CBO directive to not talk about the details of the health care reform bill that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) sent along. Democrats said that even members of the Senate Democratic Conference remain in the dark about many proposals Reid is exploring. That's because the CBO has vowed to release everything Reid has asked the agency to score if Democrats talk publicly about them. Reid doesn't want all elements of the bill he sent to the CBO released because he does not anticipate including every scored provision in the final product" (Pierce and Dennis, 11/3).