Sen. John Barrasso said Thursday that the Congressional Budget Office score makes a lot of assumptions for what states will do in calculating their score.
“I read the entire report,” he said on Fox News. “It’s interesting they make assumptions. They say half of the states won’t do anything, one-third of the states will do marginal changes, and one-sixth of the states they say will go further.
Mr. Barrasso said the key part of the Republican proposal is the flexibility it allows states.
“I encourage states to take waivers, make decisions on their own, do what works best in that state not what Washington says you have to do,” he said.
The Wyoming Republican said his party members meet several times a week to discuss what they want to see in the Senate’s version of a new health care law, and it’s the main conversation they’re having with constituents back home.
“We’re continuing to look for ways to lower premiums,” he said. “People are saying the premiums, the costs, are too high. We also need to protect people with re-existing conditions. We’re working on that.”
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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