Recently, I spoke at a conference for veterans of the 1994 health reform battle, which meant I got to sit in on the discussions. Much of it confirmed my preexisting biases: Clinton should've moved faster, involved Congress, had a communications strategy, etc. But one of their big complaints was with the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO, they said, refused to score any savings from prevention and wellness, and so kept emerging with massive price tags that the Democrats then had to defend. Which makes today's news that the CBO, along with the Joint Committee on Taxation, has estimated that the Wyden-Bennett Healthy Americans Act, which reorganizes the health system and implements universal coverage, is fully financed in year one (the year of transition), revenue neutral in year two, and creates surpluses after that. In other words, we can cover the 47 million uninsured without spending more money. As a talking point, this is huge. And that's not a fact missed by Wyden, Bennett, or their cosponsors. At the press conference today, Republicans Bob Corker and Mike Crapo both exulted in the findings, and Corker was particularly insistent that "today is a historic day, because we've proved that every American can have health care, provided by the private sector, and it won't bust the bank. What Wyden and Bennett have done is laid health care on a silver platter for the next president." On the other hand, the Wyden plan faces significant political challenges, which I explain in more detail here. And Corker, for all his enthusiasm at the press conference, said in his official statement, "I am hopeful we can get to the point that I can support this legislation if it comes before the full Senate." That's almost irreconcilable with unqualified, gushing support he offered at the presser. Even so, today's news is a huge step forward in the plan's political viability. It'll make it much harder for Republicans, like McCain, to insist on non-universal options, or for Democrats to support proposals that require a lot of additional new spending. After today, Wyden and Bennett can begin saying that there plan offers universal coverage that actually saves money. That's a big deal.
