Court Health Decision May Affect Deficit, CBO Leader Says

Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

To all the uncertainty over the future of the U.S. budget add one more factor: the Supreme Court, said Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf.

The justices’ decision, expected this month, on whether to strike down all or part of President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul may have a significant effect on the budget deficit, Elmendorf said today at a meeting with reporters. He said the court might save the government hundreds of billions of dollars, or add to the deficit, though it’s impossible to predict.