The latest cost estimates for health care legislation in Congress are about $1.6 trillion over 10 years, according to two Senate sources.
Two Senate staffers, one Democratic and one Republican, said the Congressional Budget Office made the estimate for the Finance Committee version of the bill. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee version would cost $1 trillion over ten years, but would only cover about one-third of the nearly 50 million uninsured.
The staffers who disclosed the latest estimates spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations over the legislation.
A Finance Committee Democratic aide, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, indicated committee members are working to lower the cost to less than $1 trillion over 10 years, a level preferred by the Obama administration.