December 14, 2009 3:36PM # ObamaCare Cost-Estimate Watch: Day #178 By [Michael F. Cannon](https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon) --- SHARE It has been 178 days since Democrats introduced the first version of [President Obama’s health plan](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10576), and a growing chorus of voices is demanding that the Congressional Budget Office reveal the full cost of Sen. Harry Reid’s health care legislation — including the cost of the private-sector mandates. - *Philadelphia Inquirer* columnist Kevin Ferris [writes](http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/kevin_ferris/20091213_Back_Channels__Time_to_stop_and_determine_the_true_cost_of_health_plan.html): “**Have the CBO score the entire Senate bill — both on-budget expenses and off.** Let senators and taxpayers see the real cost — before a vote is taken. Then decide what the nation can afford.” - Former New Jersey Governor and EPA administrator Christie Whitman — who should know a little something about private-sector mandates — [writes](http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/commentary/christie-whitman-health-care-reform-needs-responsible-fiscal-policy-for-the-sake-of-our-grandchildren): “**the CBO estimates do not count the costs the private sector will have to pay to insurance companies as ‘taxes,’ even though they are surely costs for the system**…I believe we need health care reform in this country. But we should start with honest accounting, responsible fiscal policies for the sake of our grandchildren, and a recognition of who is really going to shoulder the burden of this undertaking. Anything less is just more of the same.” I also had an [oped](http://www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/opinion/commentary/article/ED-CANN13_20091211-205402/311002/) in Sunday’s *Richmond Times-Dispatch* where I argue that if Sen. Jim Webb (D‑Va.) really meant what he [wrote](http://blog.sunlightfoundation.com/2009/10/07/eight-senators-want-the-public-to-read-the-health-care-bill/) to Majority Leader Harry Reid back in October about holding an open and honest debate, Webb should insist on a complete CBO cost estimate — including the cost of the private-sector mandates — before the bill moves any further. (Cross-posted at *National Journal*’s [Health Care Experts Blog](http://healthcare.nationaljournal.com/2009/11/troublesome-directions.php).) ##### Related Tags [Health Care](https://www.cato.org/health-care) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).