Health insurance in Congress

Congress is considering major changes in the health insurance system. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a brief on how it will judge budgetary treatments of the various proposals. The proposals share some or all of the following features:

• Mandatory insurance with specified minimum benefits
• "Play-or-pay" requirement for employers
• New subsidies and expanded eligibility for Medicaid
• New "exchanges" for individuals and some small employers to purchase insurance
• Establishment of a "public plan" alongside private plans
• A federal health board for oversight

In CBO’s view, the key consideration is whether a proposal would be making health insurance an essentially governmental program...(or)...a largely private-sector system.

The Budgetary Treatment of Proposals to Change the Nation's Health Insurance System
      Issue brief (pdf, 7pp/108kB), May 27, 2009
      Blog, May 27, 2009