Donald Marron, visiting professor at the Georgetown Public Policy
Institute and former acting director of the Congressional Budget
Office, pegs the actual cost of the House Democrats' health care
plan at nearly $1.3 trillion.
The $1.055 trillion number that I've been reporting represents
the gross cost of the coverage provisions alone, which account
for a bulk of the proposed spending. But there are all sorts of
other costs associated with the bill, even though they're
balanced by various tax increases or proposed spending cuts
elsewhere. When Marron added up all of the other spending of the
bill, he came up with $1.273 trillion.
You can read his explanation, and check out his math,
here.
