Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Tuesday that the Congressional Budget Office provides "useful information," but the director is "not Moses," and he shouldn't be followed blindly.
"I think the CBO report provides useful information, but at the same time, the CBO director is not Moses, he's not walking down the mountain tops with stone tablets," the senator said about CBO director Keith Hall while on "The Hugh Hewitt Show." "And we should evaluate that useful information with a critical eye."
The CBO released a report Tuesday that found roughly 24 million people would be uninsured under the Republican healthcare plan that's intended to replace the Affordable Care Act. The CBO estimates that 14 million less people will have insurance next year under the GOP plan, and that 52 million would be without coverage by 2026.
"We should also examine their history with health care estimates, which pretty consistently overestimated, for instance, the coverage Obamacare would provide," Cotton added. "They seem to have some challenges getting right the influence of a healthy individual insurance market."
Despite these reservations, Cotton admitted that the CBO "is directionally correct . . . coverage levels will go down in the coming years under the House bill."
House Speaker Paul Ryan also appeared with Hewitt, telling him Friday that he's "been telling our members, just get ready, this is always what happens with CBO."
He added, "you're never going to win a coverage beauty contest when it's free market versus government mandates."
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