HEALTH Panel Act

# HEALTH Panel Act Summary **What the bill does:** The HEALTH Panel Act would formally establish a Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)—an agency that analyzes the costs of proposed legislation. Currently, this panel operates without specific legal authority. The bill would give it official status and require it to have 15 members who serve three-year terms, with leadership from the House and Senate Budget Committees and the CBO director each appointing three members.

The panel would provide expert recommendations to help the CBO evaluate healthcare legislation and estimate its costs. **Key provisions and who it affects:** The bill requires the panel to submit reports to Congress twice annually detailing what recommendations it made to CBO and whether those recommendations were used. These reports would be published online for public access. This primarily affects members of Congress and budget analysts who use CBO cost estimates when voting on healthcare bills, as well as the general public interested in how healthcare legislation costs are calculated. **Current status:** The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been voted on by the full Senate.