By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – A new report from the Congressional Budget Office says the health care overhaul law will cost $115 billion more than anticipated.
The CBO released the report earlier this month. It says the costs of administering new plans in the health law are largely behind the increase. The candidates for Omaha's Second Congressional District are responding to that report.
Congressman Lee Terry, a Republican, says paying for those increased costs will mean either raising taxes or adding to the deficit. "We already have a trillion and a half dollar budget deficit this year, and so what this is going to do is just add to that," Terry says. "So what it does is burden our future generations and starts strangling our economy."
Terry's challenger, Democrat Tom White, says the new law benefits people who otherwise can't afford health care. But White says if necessary, he'll vote as a Congressman to review the plan's costs. "If we have to, what we will do is review the programs and review what we can actually afford and start cutting out those things that do not result in the best cost savings."
The CBO says the total cost of the health care overhaul is more than $1 trillion.
Meanwhile, an October 14th debate is set between Terry and White.