CBO: Health law could result in 800,000 fewer workers

The statistics first surfaced in projections made last summer, but were brought back to the debate Thursday during a House Budget Committee hearing.

Politico: CBO: Health Law To Cut Workforce By 800,000
CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf told the House Budget Committee on Thursday that the health care law will reduce employment by 0.5 percent by 2021 because some people will no longer have to work just to afford health insurance (Feder and Nocera, 2/10).

The Hill: GOP Jumps On Old CBO Job Numbers
Eager to exploit an opening to attack the health care reform law, Republicans on Thursday touted testimony by Congress' budget scorekeeper that the law would result in 800,000 fewer people working. Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf first made the projection last summer, but it didn't stop Republicans from circulating his Thursday comments during a House Budget Committee hearing as fresh proof that the reform law "destroys" jobs (Millman, 2/10).