In testimony before the Senate Committee on the Budget on Feb. 10, 2009, Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), stated that without changes in policy, the number of uninsured adults under age 65 will likely grow from 45 million in 2009 to 54 million in 2019.
Elmendorf identified several proposals that, used in combination, may help the nation achieve near-universal health insurance coverage. These include mechanisms for pooling risk (e.g., strengthening the existing employer-based system, modifying the market for individually purchased insurance, or establishing a national insurance exchange), subsidies to make insurance less expensive, and the use of either an enforceable mandate for individual coverage or an effective process to facilitate enrollment.
Elmendorf’s testimony also addressed the challenges and opportunities for reducing costs and improving efficiencies within the healthcare system.
Read the testimony.
