CBO: ‘Hire More Heroes’ Would Add to Deficit

A measure that would remove employers’ requirements to include employees who already have coverage through either TRICARE or the Department of Veterans Affairs from legal requirements under the Affordable Care Act would add $858 million to the federal deficit, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The measure, H.R. 22, passed the House on Jan. 6. On Jan. 28, the House Finance Committee ordered the bill – known as the Hire More Heroes Act – to be reported without amendment favorably. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., introduced the measure. Both CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) believe if H.R. 22 becomes law, it would reduce the number of employers required to make payments for coverage under the Affordable Care Act, known commonly as Obamacare. “As a result, CBO and JCT estimate that enacting H.R. 22 would reducer revenues, and thereby increase budget deficits … over the 2015-2025 period,” CBO stated in a Feb. 2 report.