CBO Shaves $7.5B Off Cost Of 5-Year CHIP Bill; Lobbyists Say Longer Extension Would Cut Deficit

After the Congressional Budget Office on Friday reduced by $7.5 billion its estimated cost of funding the Children's Health Insurance Program for five years, CHIP advocates immediately started lobbying for an even longer extension, which they said would cut the deficit and allow the resulting savings to be reinvested into better CHIP coverage of foster kids. The cost of covering kids with CHIP fell to $800 million because CBO estimates the individual mandate repeal will dramatically increase the cost of...