Panetta Statement on the CBO Score of the Murray-Alexander Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) released the following statement in response to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) score of the bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017, put forth by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN). The bill would include funding through 2019 for the Affordable Care Act's cost-sharing program and enrollment outreach, streamline approvals for waivers and expand eligibility for catastrophic coverage:

"I am pleased to see the positive results of the CBO's analysis of the bipartisan health care plan released by Senators Murray and Alexander. This bill will help bring certainty to the individual health care market, safeguard insurance for millions of families, and provide additional options for both individuals and states to address their health care needs.

"The legislation reflects the key elements of the bipartisan proposal from the Problem Solvers Caucus to reduce premiums and provides key fixes to the individual market which will benefit the central coast of California. This compromise, shaped by our Caucus' communication with the Senators, represents an important step toward strengthening the Affordable Care Act and providing financial relief to residents on the Central Coast. Both the House and Senate should promptly take up this legislation and both parties should continue to work together to provide quality affordable health care to American families."

The CBO score, released on Wednesday, showed that the legislation would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion over the 2018-2027 period, relative to CBO's baseline, and preserve health insurance coverage for those who use the Affordable Care Act marketplace.

Congressman Panetta is a member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. The Caucus' proposal to stabilize the individual market and reduce premiums for consumers, released in July, can be found here.