HEALTH Panel Act

This bill makes a health expert panel inside the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) a permanent part of how Congress gets advice on health costs and policies. The panel gives CBO expert help so CBO can make better, clearer estimates about how health and healthcare ideas might cost or save money .

The panel must send a report to the House and Senate Budget Committees that explains what advice it gave and how CBO used it. CBO must also post this report on its website. The panel will have 15 members who serve three-year terms. Members are chosen by leaders of the House and Senate Budget Committees from both parties, and by the CBO director (each selects three members) .

• Who is affected: CBO analysts, Congress, and anyone following federal health policy and costs .
• What changes: The health advisor panel is formally set in law, must report its advice and CBO’s use of it, and has clear rules for how members are picked and how long they serve .