Washington, D.C. – The Senate Budget Committee last night adopted two amendments offered by Senator Ron Johnson (WI) intended to improve estimates regarding the future costs of Obamacare. The amendments were incorporated as part of the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Resolution considered by the Committee.

Johnson said:

“I have consistently argued that Obamacare includes significant incentives for companies to dump their employees into government-run insurance exchanges. At the same time, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has raised its estimate of how many Americans may lose their current care – now predicting that may happen to as many as 20 million.

“The truth is no one can be sure how many employers will be forced to stop offering health insurance because of these costly new mandates. These votes show that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle recognize this is a legitimate concern – one that warrants the most accurate and complete information that the Congressional Budget Office can provide.”

Johnson’s amendments direct the CBO to:

1. Continue to review the costs and taxes in Obamacare as it currently does; and,
2. Supplement this review with estimates of the cost to taxpayers if 30%, 50%, or 100% of Americans lose their employer-provided care.

The first amendment was approved on a voice vote. The Committee approved the second on a bipartisan vote of 16-6.

In addition to the amendments above, Senator Johnson also proposed an amendment to require that any budget resolution considered in the Senate be balanced after the year 2022. The proposal recognizes that unless Congress sets a realistic target date for balancing the budget, deficit spending is likely to continue. This amendment was defeated by a vote of 12-10.

The Senate is expected to consider the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Resolution next week.

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