196 pages. Excerpt: This report describes some of the key assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) would use in estimating the effects of key elements of such proposals on federal costs, insurance coverage, and other outcomes; the evidence on which those assumptions are based; and -- if the evidence points to a range of possible effects rather than a precise prediction -- the factors that would influence where a proposal falls within those ranges. In doing so, it also reviews many of the major issues that arise in designing such proposals. This document does not provide a comprehensive analysis of any specific proposal; rather, it identifies and discusses many of the critical factors that would affect estimates of various proposals.  MORE >>