Some say the House’s proposed healthcare reformlegislation, which includes cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, as well as a publichealth insurance plan, will prevent rising healthcare costs from bankruptingthe country. Not so, says the head of the Congressional Budget Office.

Speaking to the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday, CBOchief Douglas Elmendorf said that the congressional reform efforts proposed sofar would actually increase the spending curve over time. In order to slowgrowth and positively affect the spending trajectory, Elmendorf told lawmakersthey should alter Medicare’s provider payment system to include incentives toreduce costs. He also advocated a tax on employer-sponsored health insurancebenefits, a widely unpopular idea that was scrapped from both the House and Senatedrafts.

Recently, a CBO analysis of the Senate Health, Education,Labor and Pensions Committee’s reform proposal caused fiscal conservatives fromboth sides of the aisle to revolt against the measure, decrying its exorbitantcosts. This new testimony is sure to galvanize Republicans and Blue DogDemocrats against the House plan, as well, reports the Washington Post.