Obama administration officials say they’re confident leaders in the health care industry will made good on their promise to the president Monday to cut costs by two-trillion dollars over the next decade. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who’s a key figure in the health care reform debate, says that figure is a great place to start.
"That will go a long ways towards bringing health care costs down," Grassley says. "I think it’s good of them to offer it but whatever they say doesn’t amount to anything unless the Congressional Budget Office scores it appropriately and in a sense agrees that by doing such-and-such, you save X-number of dollars."
Grassley says he’s eager to get to work on the plan, saying, "Getting any help around here to save money is a rarity and we’re going to take advantage of it." He says he has yet to see specifics on how the health care industry plans to make so drastic a cut as it’ll have to come from myriad sources over the next ten years.
"Now, adding all of that up to two-trillion dollars is something that’s going to be the Congressional Budget Office’s job and what they say is a fact," Grassley says. "It could be two-trillion, it could be one-trillion, it could be a lot less."
Grassley met with Obama last week at the White House to discuss how the administration and Congress can work together to try to bring about health care reform.