Bill revising MLR will add to deficit, says CBO

A Republican bill altering the healthcare law's medical loss ratio (MLR) will add about $1 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said Thursday. Some Democrats oppose the measure, saying it would weaken standards designed to protect consumers. Some experts also question how much the MLR threatens insurance brokers' business, arguing that agents are also the victims of an increasingly unfriendly market. Republicans say the bill is important to ensure that consumers can still avail themselves of brokers' help.