Cost for health care law

On March 20 the editorial cartoon and a Mike Jensen article both claimed the Affordable Care Act cost estimate has doubled and that the cost is now $2 trillion. These claims are not true. If you want the facts you can go to this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/no-the-cbo-hasnt-doubled-its-cost-estimate-for-health-care-reform/2011/08/25/gIQAZj7FPS_blog.html.

A quick Google search for "CBO estimate of cost of affordable care act text" will take you to the actual estimate by the CBO. On the front page it says, and I quote:

"CBO and JCT now estimate that the insurance coverage provisions of the ACA will have a net cost of just under $1.1 trillion over the 2012-2021 period -- about $50 billion less than the agencies' March 2011 estimate for that 10-year period."

To get a $2 trillion figure you have to not subtract the cost savings caused by the same act. Really. That's how Jensen got to his number. By ignoring the net cost.

It isn't that hard to get the facts. Mike Jensen appears to be lazy or not truthful.

JOHN L. COOK, Cape Girardeau