CBO: Final health bill cuts deficit by $130 billion

The score -- which also puts the cost of the bill at $940 billion -- means the House could vote as early as Sunday

Published March 18, 2010 1:55PM (EDT)

After a fair amount of delay -- caused by Democrats jiggering and re-jiggering the bill's language to get the best numbers -- the Congressional Budget Office's score of the final healthcare reform package was released Thursday morning.

According to the CBO, the bill will cost $940 billion over the first decade, more than either the original Senate or House bill did. But it will also reduce the deficit more than either of those proposals did -- $130 billion over the first ten years, and $1.2 trillion in the decade after that.

With the score finally out, the clock starts ticking to a vote in the House. That could now come as early as Sunday.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

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