Health Overhaul May Increase States’ Costs by $118 Billion

The U.S. health-care law will cost states almost double the amount that congressional auditors estimate, Republican lawmakers said.

Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said in prepared statements before a hearing today that states estimate the overhaul signed by President Barack Obama last year will increase health expenditures by about $118 billion through 2023. The Congressional Budget Office, the chamber’s accounting arm, has estimated the law would cost states about $60 billion.