The proposed changes would cost the federal government $899 billion over the same time period.
“While our forecast concludes the Senate plan would cover slightly fewer people than the legislation passed by the House, the costs of the Senate bill also would be much lower,” said Elizabeth McGlynn, associate director of RAND Health, in a press release announcing the study.
The Senate plan would increase overall health spending by 2 percent but it would also help drive down insurance premiums, according to the study. RAND found the individual mandate is responsible for most of the increased insurance coverage and would itself reduce the number of uninsured by 41 percent. If there were no penalties for individuals who do not purchase insurance, 10 million more people would be uninsured.
Read about the RAND analysis of the Senate health reform bill.
