CBO Assumes Public Emergency Through 2021, FMAP Increase Will Cost $50B

The country’s second COVID-19 stimulus law, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, will increase the federal deficit by $192 billion through 2030, mostly over the next two years, and the largest health-related expenditure is due to the increased federal match rate for Medicaid that doesn’t account for increased enrollment during the downturn, according to an initial estimate from the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. The agencies stress the assumptions come with significant uncertainty since they depend...