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MURPHY CALLS ON CBO TO ANALYZE REMOVAL OF INDIVIDUAL MANDATE & DEVASTATING CUTS TO MEDICAID COVERAGE BEYOND 10-YEAR BUDGET WINDOW
Murphy: "Senators and the American public [should] have a clear understanding of the impacts of this legislation."
"In order for Senators and the American public to have a clear understanding of the impacts of this legislation, there are two critical elements related to coverage estimates that I believe must be addressed in your analysis. First, given the confusion created by the overly rushed and secretive process
"Second, as we discussed at a Legislative Branch Appropriations hearing this week, it is critically important that CBO provide an estimate of the impact of this legislation beyond the first 10-year budget window. The Senate Republican Discussion Draft makes substantial changes to the growth rate in the Medicaid program in 2025--near the end of the 10-year budget window. Because these impacts are potentially so large, and mostly occur outside the first 10-year window, the
During a
Earlier this year, Murphy led 17 senators in demanding that Senate Republican leadership conduct an equally transparent and thorough deliberative process on Trumpcare as was conducted in drafting and passing the Affordable Care Act in 2009. The senators contrasted the dozens of bipartisan meetings and hearings, and more than 160 hours of floor debate, with the unprecedented steps that Congressional Republicans are currently taking to force Trumpcare through
The full text of the letter is available online https://www.murphy.senate.gov/download/cbo-letter and below:
Dr.
Director
Second and D Streets, SW
Dear Director Hall:
I write to you today to inquire about the upcoming
First, given the confusion created by the overly rushed and secretive process
A report that CBO released on
Second, as we discussed at a Legislative Branch Appropriations hearing this week, it is critically important that CBO provide an estimate of the impact of this legislation beyond the first 10-year budget window. Further, that estimate should be released concurrently with the primary 10-year score to enable a complete understanding of the bill prior to a
As you'll recall, during the hearing I asked, "to the extent that the reduction in people enrolled in Medicaid happens outside the 10 year window, will you opine on that subject" Let's say they start the Medicaid changes in year nine, which means that year 10 won't look that bad, but years 11 through 20 would look pretty catastrophic. Would something like that be included in an estimate theoretically?" You replied, "Yes, theoretically if we know there's going to be a change outside the window and we have some notion of how big it will be, we will talk about it."
Unfortunately, we now know that this is not theoretical. The Senate Republican Discussion Draft makes substantial changes to the growth rate in the Medicaid program in 2025--near the end of the 10-year budget window. This change to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers will have a drastic impact on state budgets from 2025 onward, with the effect growing larger every year. This, in turn, will have major implications for state Medicaid eligibility, coverage, benefits, and provider rates. As a result, it is important that this out-year estimate include the reduction in federal Medicaid spending and an estimate of how many Americans would lose Medicaid coverage. Moreover, because these impacts are potentially so large, and mostly occur outside the first 10-year window, the
I know that you and the rest of the staff at CBO understand the gravity of this CBO estimate and I trust that you will do everything in your power to ensure that it provides, in a timely manner, all of the information that we require to be able to judge the effects of this far-reaching legislation.
Sincerely,
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