Obamacare sticker shock: $115 billion more?

The Congressional Budget Office now says the 10-year health-care reform bill could cost $115 billion more than the $938 billion originally expected. Most of the extra money would go to community health centers, Indian health care, and other programs that require fresh approval from Congress every year. House Republican leader John Boehner said the news will "widen the serious credibility gap President Obama is facing." But the White House says there was no trickery — it's up to Congress whether to spend the extra money. Who's right? (Watch a Fox Business discussion about health care's surprising costs)

The Democrats lied about the bill's costs: "Of all the slime dripping from Obamacare," says Allahpundit in Hot Air, the Democrats' phony pricetag is the most disturbing. "Obama pretended to care" when he ordered Democratic leaders to "bring in a bill below the arbitrary yet politically toxic threshold of $1 trillion." Apparently, they were willing to "lie" to give the president what he wanted.

"Great news: CBO says Obamacare will cost $115 billion more than thought"

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The only phony thing here is the GOP outrage: There were no surprises in the CBO's new estimate, says Kate Pickert in Time. "This is run-of-the-mill business as usual" for Congress. The new law says the government will spend $938 billion over ten years on health reform — and Congress can choose whether to spend more. The real downside for Obama is that if Congress says "no," the bill won't do everything he hopes.

"The story behind more bad headlines about the cost of health reform"

This cost hike is just the tip of the iceberg: The $115 billion the CBO is talking about is peanuts, says Peter Suderman in Reason. None of the cost estimates include what private industry and individuals must pay to comply with the insurance mandate. If you add that to the tally, the real cost of Obamacare rises by at least another $1 trillion. Talk about sticker shock.

"CBO adds $115 billion to Obamacare's price tag"