CBO: Repealing ObamaCare mandate saves $338 billion
Repealing ObamaCare’s individual mandate will save $338 billion over 10 years, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
The analysis comes as some Republicans are pushing for repealing the mandate within tax-reform legislation, as a way to help pay for tax cuts. That idea has met resistance from some Republican leaders who do not want to mix up health care and taxes, though.
The CBO had come under fire on Tuesday from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who slammed the agency after Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told The Hill that he had been informed that the CBO was changing its analysis of the mandate to find significantly less savings.
{mosads}The CBO said Wednesday that it is in fact changing the way it analyzes the mandate, but said it is holding off on making those changes because the work is not complete.
That decision is a boost to Republicans who want to repeal the mandate in tax reform, because it means there are still significant savings to be had from repealing the mandate.
Including mandate repeal still faces long odds, though.
Without the mandate, more people are uninsured, which saves the government money when it pays out less in subsidies.
The CBO said it would provide a more detailed analysis later on Wednesday, including how many more people would be uninsured.
Repealing the mandate could also destabilize health insurance markets by removing an incentive for healthy people to enroll.
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