Pelosi praises health overhaul bill’s deficit cuts

(AP) WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is hailing the deficit reduction in the health care overhaul bill that Democrats hope to push through Congress on Sunday.

The California Democrat spoke after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the package would reduce budget deficits by $138 billion over the next decade. She said analysts also estimated the sweeping legislation would trim deficits by another $1.2 trillion over the decade after that.

The bill’s savings have been a major concern for moderate Democrats whom party leaders are trying to persuade to vote for the legislation. The budget office estimated the bill would cost $940 billion over the next 10 years _ more than paid for by Medicare cuts and some new taxes.