According to the official estimate of the Congressional Budget Office, the health reform legislation will reduce the federal deficit by a mere $143 billion in the first ten years (and roughly another $1 trillion in the second ten years). Some have argued that the CBO is overcounting the savings, but a new study by the Commonwealth Fund (PDF) finds that the opposite is true. According to their analysis, the overall deficit reduction from health reform in the first ten years is about a quarter of a trillion dollars greater than the CBO estimate. They identified $171 billion more in federal savings from payment and system reforms, and another $86 billion in added tax revenue as reduced healthcare costs translate into higher income for individuals.
Tags: federal deficit
