CBO & GAO Requests
117th Congress
Request for CBO Report on Design Considerations for a Public Option (January 2021)
SUMMARY: Members of Congress are working to expand access and improve the affordability of quality health insurance for all Americans through a variety of approaches. One proposal is a federally administered nongroup plan, sometimes called a public option, that would be available as an alternative to private insurance plans. Chairman Yarmuth asked CBO to produce a report identifying key characteristics and design considerations of a public option.
116th Congress
Request for CBO Report on Health Care Spending (October 2020)
SUMMARY: Rising health insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs continue to put pressure on employers’ bottom lines and family budgets. Increasing health care costs also have important implications for the federal budget and the economy more broadly. Chairman Yarmuth asked CBO to provide a report on the drivers of health care spending, variation in health care prices and costs, and mechanisms to hold down growth in spending.
CBO Report: The Prices That Commercial Health Insurers and Medicare Pay for Hospitals’ and Physicians’ Services
Request for CBO Report Analyzing Approaches to Achieve Universal Health Care Coverage (April 2020)
SUMMARY: While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) gave us a strong foundation on which to build, there is still more work to be done to achieve the goal of quality, affordable health care for all Americans. Chairman Yarmuth, Representative Craig, Representative Fletcher, and Representative Wild asked CBO to provide a report exploring proposals that would build on the achievements of the ACA to achieve the goal of quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
Press Statement: Chairman Yarmuth, Reps. Craig, Fletcher, & Wild: CBO Report Will Help Lay the Groundwork for Achieving Universal Health Coverage
CBO Report: Policies to Achieve Near-Universal Health Insurance Coverage
Request for GAO to Conduct a Review of the Impact that Continuing Resolutions Have on Agency Operations (February 2020)
SUMMARY: It has been more than ten years since GAO issued its last report on the impact of continuing resolutions (CRs) on agencies. Since GAO has a mandate in the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to look at the effects of CRs on the readiness and planning of the Department of Defense (DOD), this study would look at the effects of CRs on all other agencies.
Request for Report on the Current Uninsured Population (January 2020)
SUMMARY: As the tenth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act approaches, the law's impact on the health and economic security of Americans is clear. But even with these dramatic gains, 30 million Americans still live without health insurance. Chairman Yarmuth asked CBO to provide a report on the characteristics of the population that remains uninsured.
Press Statement: Chairman Yarmuth Requests CBO Report on the Current Uninsured Population
CBO Report: Who Went Without Health Insurance in 2019, and Why?
Request for Report on Work Requirements and Medicaid, SNAP, and TANF (January 2020)
SUMMARY: The Trump Administration is currently pursuing work requirements for several federal programs in the form of state waivers and new regulations that limit states' flexibility to respond to changing economic conditions. Chairman Yarmuth asked CBO to analyze the effect of work requirements and work supports on program participation, employment, and other outcomes in Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Press Statement: Chairman Yarmuth: CBO Report Underscores Harmful Impact of Work Requirements, Efficacy of Work Supports
CBO Report: Work Requirements and Work Supports for Recipients of Means-Tested Benefits
Request for Report on the Impact of Immigration on the Federal Budget (December 2019)
SUMMARY: In 2019, the House Budget Committee held a hearing examining the role of immigrants in the United States economy. Chairman Yarmuth asked CBO provide an overview of basic facts about the foreign-born population, their role in the economy, and the impact that they have on the federal budget.
CBO Report: The Foreign-Born Population and Its Effects on the U.S. Economy and the Federal Budget—An Overview
Request for Report on the Cost of Department of Defense Base Operations Support Costs (October 2019)
SUMMARY: The Department of Defense spends tens of billions of dollars annually in base operations support (BOS) costs to sustain hundreds of military installations, both in the United States and abroad. Chairman Yarmuth asked that CBO undertake an analysis of these costs.
CBO Report: The Cost of Supporting Military Bases
Request for Report on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Guaranteed Home Loan Program (July 2019)
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) guaranteed home loan program plays an important role in providing guarantees for veterans and their families who might otherwise find it difficult to obtain a mortgage. To gain better budgetary insight about this program, which tends to perform better than other similar programs, Chairman Yarmuth asked that CBO undertake an analysis of the program.
CBO Report: The Role of the Department of Veterans Affairs in the Single-Family Mortgage Market
Request for Report on Preventive Health Care (January 2019)
SUMMARY: Preventive health care services can avert disease or lead to earlier treatment of diseases and other health problems, offering the potential to improve people's health and thus improve the quality and length of their lives. Chairman Yarmuth requested that CBO prepare a report that discusses how the agency analyzes both the short-term and long-term effects of legislative proposals that seek to improve peoples' health through policies that prevent illness and the progression of disease.
CBO Report: How CBO Analyzes Approaches to Improve Health Through Disease Prevention
Request for Report on Effects of the Government Shutdown (January 2019)
SUMMARY: The government shutdown of December 2018-January 2019 was our nation's longest shutdown on record. Because we have no precedent of a shutdown extending beyond several weeks, relying upon the cost estimates of previous shutdowns may understate the economic harm. To help Congress better understand the economic consequences of a prolonged shutdown, Chairman Yarmuth and Representative O'Halleran asked that CBO provide an estimate of the macroeconomic effects of the partial government shutdown.
Press Statement: Chairman Yarmuth, Rep. O'Halleran Respond to New CBO Report on Cost of Trump Shutdown
CBO Report: The Effects of the Partial Shutdown Ending in January 2019
Request for Report on Single Payer Health Care System (January 2019)
SUMMARY: Some members of Congress are examining proposals to establish a single-payer health care system. To assist the Congress with that work, Chairman Yarmuth requested that CBO provide a report analyzing the design considerations that policymakers would confront in developing proposals to establish a single-payer system in the United States.
Press Statement: Chairman Yarmuth Requests CBO Report on Single-Payer Policy Considerations
CBO Report: Key Design Considerations for Establishing a Single-Payer Health Care System