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Yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office released updated cost estimates for some parts of the Affordable Care Act. In this update, CBO projects that net spending on several parts of the health care law are about $50 billion less than it projected last year. That partly reflects CBO’s confirmation of a trend we’ve been following – slower growth in health insurance premiums. CBO said:
“By 2021, premiums are now estimated to be about 8 percent lower than CBO estimated in March 2011. That change reduces the estimated costs of the coverage provisions of the ACA.”
This suggests that taxpayers will save $50 billion more, on net, through 2021 and Americans will pay even less for private insurance than CBO previously projected – which is good news.
It is also important to be clear about what the CBO report does not say.
The CBO update does not provide new estimates of the entire cost of the Affordable Care Act. That’s because the new report looks at how much the government will spend on discrete elements of the new law, but not how much the government will save due to other parts of the law such as efforts to slow Medicare cost growth and reduce fraud.
The last time the Congressional Budget Office looked at the whole law was when the House of Representatives tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act. And that report found that the Affordable Care Act reduces the deficit by over $100 billion in the next ten years and even more in the subsequent decade. Here’s what CBO had to say then:
“CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 2 would increase federal deficits during the decade following the initial 10-year period . . . CBO anticipates that enacting H.R. 2 would probably continue to increase budget deficits relative to those under current law in subsequent decades.”
Today’s report also does not project major changes in the number of workers who will get coverage through their job. At the time of passage CBO projected a change of 3 million people; last year CBO projected 1 million; this year 4 million – out of the roughly 150 million people get insurance through their job today. Other respected independent analysts have concluded that the number of Americans who get their health insurance at work will not change in a significant way. Here are just two examples:
The Urban Institute: “Some have argued that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would erode employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) by providing incentives for employers to stop offering coverage. Others have claimed that most businesses would face increased costs as a result of reform. A new study finds that overall ESI coverage under the ACA would not differ significantly from what coverage would be without reform.”
Thomson Reuters Consulting: “Few employers seem willing to wash their hand of [offering health benefits…Of our clients, none of them have alluded to dropping coverage…We’re not seeing 30 percent. We’re not even seeing five percent. We have not heard that from one client”
Again, the bottom line is clear: the Affordable Care Act will reduce our deficit, control health care costs, and make health care more affordable.Again, the bottom line is clear: the Affordable Care Act will reduce our deficit, control health care costs, and make health care more affordable.
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This morning, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will welcome Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron, to the White House with a formal arrival ceremony at 9 am ET (watch it live here) and a State Dinner to follow this evening. Visits from U.K. leaders are always a special occasion, and an opportunity to highlight the special relationship between our countries and the depth of the friendship between the American people and the people of the United Kingdom. This particular visit is also a testament to the strong personal bond that has developed between the Obamas and the Camerons.
To mark the occasion, and to celebrate our long-standing partnership, the White House Historical Association has gone through their archives and put together a fascinating look back at some of the other special visits British leaders have made to the White House since the end of WW 2.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Roosevelt's Joint Chiefs of Staff outside of the White House in 1943.
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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip converse with the Trumans in 1951.
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President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower greet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip in 1957.
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President Dwight D. Eisenhower and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip in 1957.
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President John F. Kennedy and Prime Minister Harold McMillan pose in the Rose Garden with their ministers, delegates, and advisers in 1961.
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President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson with Princess Margaret of Great Britain and her husband Anthony Armstong-Jones in 1965.
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President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson walk through White House cross hall with guest of honor, Prime Minister Harold Wilson, June 1967.
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Prince Charles and Princess Anne of Great Britain (left) chat with Tricia Nixon (center) and Julie and David Eisenhower in June 1970.
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President Gerald R. Ford acknowledges the toast of Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner, July 7, 1976.
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President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter walk with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher out of the Yellow Oval Room in 1979.
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President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan chat with Prince Charles, and Princess Diana in the East Sitting Hall, November 9, 1985.
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Nancy Reagan encouraged actor John Travolta to dance with Princess Diana to music from Saturday Night Fever, November 9, 1985.
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President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush welcome Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Prince Philip in May 1991.
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First Lady Hillary Clinton and Princess Diana chat in the Map Room, June 18, 1997.
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President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton pose with Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie Blair in Februrary 1998.
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President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush welcome Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in May 2007.
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President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush welcome British Prime Minister Tony Blair to the White House, May 16, 2007.
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Outside the White House, the Union Jack is flying alongside the flags of the United States and the District of Columbia on street lamps down Pennsylvania Avenue -- in preparation for a visit from British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Tonight, President Obama and the Prime Minister will travel to Dayton, Ohio -- where they'll take in an NCAA tournament game together. Tomorrow, the White House will host the arrival ceremony for the official visit. Later that night, the President and First Lady Michelle Obama will welcome the Prime Minister and his wife, Samantha Cameron, at a state dinner. In between, the day will be packed with events and policy meetings.
The United States has long had a special relationship with the United Kingdom -- as historian David Reynolds details on the Prime Minister's website.
But nowhere is that today more evident than in Afghanistan.
The Union Flag of the United Kingdom waves in the Afghanistan breeze between the Afghanistan and United States flags, June 1, after 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) raised it in a morning colors ceremony to signify the British Joint Aviation Group's integration with 3rd MAW (Fwd). Sgt. Jeffrey Anderson, June 1, 2010
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President Barack Obama, flanked by Commerce Secretary John Bryson (L) and Trade Representative Ron Kirk (R), delivers a statement to the press on exports and announces new efforts to enforce U.S. trade rights with China, in the Rose Garden of the White House, March 13, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)Two weeks ago, President Obama formed the Trade Enforcement Unit to investigate unfair economic practices by other countries.
But even as that organization comes online, the President is taking additional steps to ensure that American products are competing on a level playing field with the rest of the world.
That's why he made an announcement this morning in the White House Rose Garden:
We’re bringing a new trade case against China -- and we’re being joined by Japan and some of our European allies. This case involves something called rare earth materials, which are used by American manufacturers to make high-tech products like advanced batteries that power everything from hybrid cars to cell phones.
We want our companies building those products right here in America. But to do that, American manufacturers need to have access to rare earth materials -- which China supplies. Now, if China would simply let the market work on its own, we’d have no objections. But their policies currently are preventing that from happening. And they go against the very rules that China agreed to follow.
The reasoning behind this effort is simple: President Obama believes that it's too important for American manufacturers to be able to compete in these growing industries for the U.S. government to stand by and do nothing.
"We're going to make sure that this isn’t a country that’s just known for what we consume," the President said. "America needs to get back to doing what it's always done best -- a country that builds and sells products all over the world that are stamped with the proud words: 'Made in America.' "
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Later today, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, and Robert Velasco, the acting CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, will announce a new partnership between FEMA and CNCS designed to strengthen the nation's ability to respond to and recover from disasters.
They'll be joined by Cecilia Muñoz, the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Walter Maddox, the mayor of Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
You can watch live right here at 11:00 am ET.
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As gas prices rise, oil companies just watch their profits increase. And yet, they’re still subsidized by Congress to the tune of $4 billion a year.
That’s about $7,610 every minute.
To learn more about why gas prices are on the rise and President Obama’s strategy to take control of our energy future and avoid gas spike prices in the future, check out our new infographic.
Want to know more about President Obama’s blueprint for an America built on homegrown energy? Here’s everything you need to know.
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Here are the facts: The United States produced more than 2 billion barrels of crude oil in 2011. Domestic oil production has climbed every year since President Obama took office, and our dependence on foreign oil is at its lowest level since the 1990s. But even as we drill more, gas prices continue to rise.
If you want to know why President Obama says that pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy is only way to secure our energy future, check out our infographic that explains the President’s plan and its relationship to gas prices.
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In his State of the Union Address, President Obama talked about the importance of doing more to help American workers acquire the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow. Today, the Administration is outlining more details of the President’s proposal to reform our nation’s re-employment system and help up to one million displaced workers each year.
President Obama wants to create a Universal Displaced Worker Program to provide individuals with high-quality job-search assistance and access to critical skills training for high-growth industries. For older workers, the new system would include the option for wage insurance — which would provide some compensation if they are forced to accept a position with a lower salary.
The President’s proposal also calls for the creation of an American Job Center network. Right now, there are nearly 3,000 employment centers that receive federal funds. Their names vary from state to state or community to community and the tools that exist online are spread across a range of disconnected websites.
President Obama wants to invest $50 million to improve and expand these workforce centers so that both workers and businesses have one, easy to identify source for help and services.
The first piece of this effort will be a new online American Job Center which will launch at JobCenter.USA.gov in the months ahead. When the site rolls out in full, it will provide a single point of access to a full slate of key information for companies and individuals. But in the meantime, we’ve already begun the process of aggregating some of the best resources – like Opportunity.gov, which helps individuals find new educational opportunities to advance their careers, or MySkillsMyFuture.org, which helps people match their experience with other occupations — at the site. Go check them out.
To learn more about the President plan, click here.
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One year ago, the President put forward a comprehensive plan in the Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future that outlined the Administration’s all-of-the-above approach to American energy – a strategy aimed at reducing our reliance on foreign oil, saving families and businesses money at the pump, and positioning the United States as the global leader in clean energy.
Today, the President received a new progress report, showcasing the Administration’s historic achievements in each of these areas. The accomplishments in this report, which represent the efforts of six Federal agencies, underscore the Administration’s commitment over the past three years to promoting an all-hands-on-deck, all-of-the-above approach to American energy and building a more secure energy future.
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Cass Sunstein, Chris Vein
March 12, 2012
11:52 AM EDTShare This PostThis week is Sunshine Week, a joint project of the American Society of News Editors and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. Held in mid-March, Sunshine Week is a national initiative to promote discussion about the importance of open government and freedom of information.
The theme of this year’s Sunshine Week is “Put Sunshine in Your Government,” and so now is an appropriate time to reflect on the Obama Administration’s strong commitment to open government over the past three years, and more particularly to provide an update on implementation of the U.S. National Action Plan on Open Government.
President Obama unveiled the National Plan in September 2011, as part of the United States’ commitment as a founding member of the Open Government Partnership – a global effort to promote more transparent, effective, and accountable governance in countries around the world.
