WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today wrote to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf seeking detailed information regarding his agency’s projections related to the massive health care law passed by the Democratic majorities last Congress.  The letter comes on the heels of yet another unintended consequence of the new law discovered last month: millions of middle class seniors will be added to the Medicaid program designed for low-income individuals.  In requesting the information, Snowe cited the need for transparency in the face of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA).

“As you know, PPACA was an extremely large bill, both in size and scope, and in spending,” wrote Senator Snowe, who is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.  “This legislation will have a profound effect on the economy, on the health insurance coverage Americans enjoy, and on the outlook for job creation and employment.  As Congress moves forward on addressing these issues, and reevaluating the strengths and weaknesses of PPACA, we must have the best possible information relating to this new public law.  As such, it is critical that the shroud of secrecy surrounding the CBO estimates and projections be lifted, so that members of Congress, the public, policy experts, and economists can begin doing independent analyses and reexamining the models CBO used.”

Specifically, Senator Snowe requested the CBO provide information regarding precisely how the agency reached its projections of the cost of the law’s various provisions, revenues from new health care taxes, and estimates relating to where people will obtain health insurance in the future, including explanations of underlying assumptions and a full list of source materials and studies the agency utilized. 

A copy of Senator Snowe’s letter may be accessed by clicking the link below.