It's Official: More than Half Won't Be Able to Stay in Their Employer Health Plan.
If you listened to the campaign rhetoric during the 2008 election, you could be forgiven for thinking that health reform would mainly mean insuring people who cannot afford insurance on their own; in the process there would be no tax increases or benefit cuts for the middle class; and, as President Obama repeatedly stated, "If you like the plan you are in, you can keep it!"
Turns out, the reality is 180 degrees different. Things are likely to change least for low-income people. About 18 million of them will be herded into Medicaid. But with no new doctors or nurses, they will find it more difficult to access care than ever before and, according to a new NCPA brief analysis, will likely show up at hospital rooms in increasing numbers.
Middle-class families who already have insurance will see the biggest change.
Within the next few months, senior citizens will begin receiving notices that their Medicare Advantage plans are being cancelled, and for those who continue in Medicare Advantage, they will see premium increases and benefit cuts. Over the next decade, 7.4 million Medicare Advantage enrollees will lose coverage they would have otherwise had.
By September, between one and two million Americans with limited benefit insurance will lose coverage because their insurance doesn't comply with the "no lifetime limit on benefits" regulation in ObamaCare.
What about "Grandfathered" Health Plans?
According to the Administration, health reform would grandfather some health plans and, therefore, spare them from onerous, cost-increasing regulatory burdens. Unfortunately, the news isn't good on that front. Under a "mid-range" estimate, more than half of all workers will not be in grandfathered plans within three years.
Under the most likely scenario, 87 million Americans will no longer be able to retain their current health plan. In fact, the number could be as high as 117 million. Small businesses will be especially hard hit and as many as 80 percent will lose their grandfathered status by 2013.
From the Administration's own statements, it now appears that "grandfathering" was never intended to be a long-term phenomenon. Eventually, all firms will lose their grandfathered status and, in turn, employees will lose the plans they liked.
...And You Could Be Dropped Anyway.
As NCPA President John C. Goodman's recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal made clear, even if you are in a grandfathered plan, your employer could drop your coverage anyway. Although estimates vary, the number of workers estimated to lose their employer-provided insurance is incredible. Consider:
- The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that between nine and ten million workers will lose their coverage.
- The Medicare Chief Actuary predicts that fourteen million employees will be dropped.
- Former CBO Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin estimates the number at thirty-five million.
So, what's the bottom line?
Because of ObamaCare, the United States could experience a complete restructuring of the economy, with firms dissolving and emerging solely based on government subsidies. Of course, that will means that millions of American workers won't be able to keep the plan they have now.
Educate Your Friends & Family!
ObamaCare isn't just a health care bill. It's a law that increases deficit spending, constricts your access to care, destroys your private health insurance coverage and fundamentally changes your relationship with your doctor. Fight ObamaCare through education. |
