(NAFB) – Senators Chuck Grassley and Mike Enzi are asking the chief actuary for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide a complete analysis of health care reform legislation before the House and Senate vote on the legislation. The Senators say the analysis they are seeking is critical because the chief actuary looks broadly at the legislation’s effect on national health care spending, access to health care and the economy. In contrast, the Congressional Budget Office focuses solely on federal health care spending.
Grassley and Enzi are the ranking members of the Finance and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees. In a prepared statement the two Senators said – legislation that affects such a significant segment of the economy and touches the lives and wallets of every American deserves the thorough analysis that the chief actuary would provide.
A previous analysis from the chief actuary showed that the Senate health care reform bill would increase health care spending, limit access and reduce quality. Grassley and Enzi said members of Congress should know whether any of those issues were addressed before being asked to vote on health care reform again.
