Policy Backgrounders

Health Care Provisions in The Build Back Better Act/Reconciliation Bill

November 12, 2021

The “Build Back Better Act” (BBB)/Reconciliation Bill, the administration’s spending and tax cut legislation that carries much of the president’s agenda, is very much a moving target. Although the congressional majority has pledged general assent in the interest of teamwork, a few Members, especially in the Senate, continue to express reservations. It seems clear that the bill that is likely to pass the House in the next few days will not have been “pre-conferenced” with the Senate, and will need to endure further change in that body before (and if) it then returns to the House for yet another difficult vote. Highly motivated swing Senators are far more fiscally cautious than highly motivated progressive Members of the House, making for a challenging process. And for that matter, Members do not yet have an official, comprehensive Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score of the bill.