With the exception of the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (“BCRA”), things are relatively quiet on the health care reform front. Below are a few developments from the week of June 26^th.

• Senate’s BCRA Updated.  The big news over the past few weeks has been the Senate’s release of the BCRA, which serves as an alternative to the House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act. See our June 28, 2017 blog entry for a detailed description of key provisions of the BCRA (including the update released on June 26^th), as well as a chart comparing the BCRA, AHCA, and the Affordable Care Act.

• CBO Scores the BCRA. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its cost estimate on the BCRA on June 26, 2017. The CBO estimated that the BCRA would reduce the federal deficit by $321 billion by 2026, $202 billion more than the AHCA. However, the BCRA would increase the number of uninsured individuals by 22 million in 2026, a slight decrease from the AHCA estimate.

• Draft Executive Order Seeks to Expand Pre-Deductible Coverage under High-Deductible Health Plans. Currently, in order to contribute to a health savings account, an individual must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan that covers services only after a relatively high deductible is satisfied. An exception to the deductible requirement applies to preventive care. The White House has released a draft executive order that would expand this exception to health care received for the purpose of managing chronic conditions.