You know what happens when you strip a bunch of benefits out of a piece of legislation intended, in part, to provide benefits? It gets cheaper! The CBO says the Senate Finance Committee’s nascent proposal will require $900 Billion in new outlays and cover 95 percent of Americans.
That’s news that will please chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) who’s said he wants his legislation to come in at under $1 trillion. Many experts suggests that robust reform will likely require more new expenditures than that. But to avoid sticker shock, and win some Republican support, Baucus’ committee has cut back on the extent and quality of proposed benefits.
