Bipartisan Bill to Stabilize the ACA Marketplaces Estimated to Save $3.8 Billion and Protect Coverage
<p>Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its estimate of the effects of a bipartisan health care bill drafted by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to help stabilize the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces. CBO projects that the Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act would save the federal government $3.8 billion by 2027 and preserve coverage gains made under the ACA. </p><p>In a new <em>To the Point</em> post, The Commonwealth Fund’s Sara Collins and David Blumenthal, M.D., explain that the bill makes good on the federal government’s IOU to insurers by appropriating money to pay for cost-sharing reduction payments. It also ensures that existing ACA funds are used for outreach and enrollment assistance. </p>
<p>“Yesterday’s CBO score indicates that congressional work through the regular legislative process can result in sound policy that benefits consumers and taxpayers — and that is agreeable to policymakers on both sides of the aisle,” the authors say. </p>