When comparing H.R. 3200 (America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009), introduced in the House, with the Affordable Choice Act developed by the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee, each bill attempts to introduce mechanisms purportedly to provider greater access to healthcare coverage and lower overall healthcare costs, while infusing competition through the development of a public health plan option. According to the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), H.R. 3200 will create a net increase of the federal deficit by approximately $239 billion—from 2010 to 2019, while the CBO estimated in July that the Senate’s bill would result in a net health increase of $1 trillion over the 2010 to 2019 period.
