Budget Options

Reports on Budget Options

To help inform lawmakers about the budgetary implications of various approaches to altering federal policies, CBO periodically issues a volume of policy options (called Options for Reducing the Deficit) covering a broad range of issues as well as separate reports that include options for changing federal tax and spending policies in particular areas. The options, which are accessible from this page, are derived from many sources and reflect a range of possibilities. For each option, CBO presents an estimate of its effects on the budget but makes no recommendations. Inclusion or exclusion of any particular option does not imply an endorsement or rejection by CBO. This search is updated regularly to include only the most recent version of a particular option.

Title Latest Estimate 10-Year Savings (Billions)
Establish Caps on Federal Spending for Medicaid $459, $588, $742, $893
Limit State Taxes on Health Care Providers $48, $241, $612
Reduce Federal Medicaid Matching Rates $69, $530, $561
Increase the Premiums Paid for Medicare Part B $510
Reduce Medicare Advantage Benchmarks $489
Adopt a Voucher Plan and Slow the Growth of Federal Contributions for Federal Employees' Health Benefits $14, $16
Introduce Enrollment Fees in TRICARE for Life $17
Introduce Minimum Out-of-Pocket Requirements in TRICARE for Life $32
Change the Cost-Sharing Rules for Medicare and Restrict Medigap Insurance $20, $116, $129
Reduce Medicare's Coverage of Bad Debt $17, $33, $54
Consolidate and Reduce Medicare Payments for Graduate Medical Education at Teaching Hospitals $94, $103
Modify Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans for Health Risk $124, $159, $1049
Reduce Payments for Hospital Outpatient Departments $6, $8, $157
Reduce Payments for Drugs Delivered by 340B Hospitals $15, $74
Use an Alternative Measure of Inflation to Index Social Security and Other Mandatory Programs $278
Eliminate or Limit Itemized Deductions $736, $1621, $1910, $3424
Reduce Tax Subsidies for Employment-Based Health Benefits $521, $697, $965
Increase Excise Taxes on Tobacco Products $51
Increase Taxes on Alcoholic Beverages $88, $102
Increase the Payroll Tax Rate for Medicare Hospital Insurance $878, $1736
Raise the Age of Eligibility for Medicare to 67 $15, $22
Reduce Quality Bonus Payments to Medicare Advantage Plans $18, $94
Modify TRICARE Enrollment Fees and Cost Sharing for Working-Age Military Retirees $11
Reduce Appropriations for Global Health to Their Level in 2000 $57