CBO forecasts reliable

At the Little Rock town hall held by Sen. Tom Cotton and Rep. French Hill in April, Senator Cotton pledged to withhold support for any healthcare overhaul that would harm more Arkansans than it helped. However, now that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has scored the House GOP health-care bill, projecting that 23 million people would lose coverage over the next 10 years, Senator Cotton’s office, as reported in this newspaper, has questioned the accuracy of the CBO’s figures, citing the CBO score for Obamacare as proof of its failure to provide accurate estimates.

According to an article written by factcheck.org, the CBO estimates for the impact of Obamacare were reasonably accurate, and better than those from other forecasters, including the Obama administration. For example, the CBO predicted that, with Obamacare, in 2016 89 percent of people under 65 would be covered in 2016; the actual percentage for the first nine months of 2016 was 89.7 percent. The only reason I can see for Cotton’s office to question the legitimacy of the CBO estimates is to allow him an out when the Senate bill that he is helping to craft does, indeed, produce a CBO score that would harm more Arkansans than it helps. I predict that you will see other GOP sources cast doubt on the accuracy of the CBO estimates as they try to convince the public that they can replace Obamacare with a bill that will not hurt more people than it helps.

Facts are facts even if they do not support the narrative policymakers want. Past experience has shown that the CBO forecasts are as good as any and should be relied upon for policy decisions. Hold Senator Cotton accountable to his promise and always check the facts!

JANET STEWART

Little Rock