Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf testified yesterday before the Senate Budget Committee.  Regarding Democrats’ health reform proposals, The Wall Street Journal quotes him as saying:  “We do not see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the trajectory of health spending by a significant amount.”  He continued: “On the contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for health-care costs.”

Here is a link to Mr. Elmendorf’s written testimony, The Long-Term Budget Outlook. The outlook is extraordinarily bleak.

The budget implications of health care reform should be fully and openly debated. Pressure from the Administration and Congressional Democratic leadership for rapid action is starting to look more and more like an “end justifies the means” tactic for enacting changes that would not be supported by an informed public.