In this morning's Washington Post, the Congressional Budget Office predicts that the costs of implementing the Affordable Care Act will be significantly lower than anticipated because of lower premiums and, consequently, lower government-financed subsidies. Over the next ten years, CBO projects the government will spend $164 billion less than previously expected. So, the next time a Republican talks about how we can't afford Obamacare, remind them that the ACA is actually lowering the federal deficit, not raising it. The most important thing the government can do to restrain its long-term budget projections is reduce the increase ins pending on health care. The ACA is doing that, not perfectly to be sure, but nothing else has done that in our lifetime.