According to a new report released by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) this week, health care reform just got a little cheaper. Why is this?

The Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) permits states to opt-out of a costly Medicaid expansion provision, and it is expected that several states will do just that. As mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, North Carolina lawmakers have yet to determine if our state will expand Medicaid – a decision that will likely come during the next legislative session.

Predicting that some states will not expand, the CBO has adjusted its figures to reflect a $84 billion reduction in the overall cost of health care reform over 11 years. The CBO now estimates the ACA to have a net cost of $1,168 billion over the 2012–2022 period—compared with $1,252 billion projected in March 2012 for that same 11-year period. The adjustment represents approximately 3 million individuals who will remain uninsured.

To read the report in its entirety, visit the CBO’s website: http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43472.