While the Associated Press may get something wrong – and omit things on occasion – they’ve admitted one thing that the big three has yet to confirm: Obamacare will cost Americans their health care coverage. In a story by Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar that was published on May 29, he noted that Americans might find themselves stripped of coverage this fall since their current plans don’t meet the requirements dictated by the president. Hence, they have to find a new plan, and small businesses are in the same situation. The result could be confusion on a biblical level.
It seems Obama is reneging his promise of allowing Americans to keep their coverage if they like it. As a result, unions have begun to have buyer’s remorse over this bill; Sen. Max Baucus (D-Montana) has said he feels like a “train wreck” is coming, and the Society of Actuaries has reported that individual premiums will rise 32% under Obamacare. As small businesses are firing more than they’re hiring, it’s added to the anxiety over the impact of this law through the various tax increases that are on the horizon. Yet, most in the media have omitted these developments, and with the AP, IRS, and Benghazi scandals engulfing this presidency – the effects of the Affordable Car Act are bound to blindside the country.
Zaldivar wrote that the supporters of the bill are banking on the increased quality health insurance plans will have to quell discontent. Others see an encroaching nanny state.
"You're going to be forcibly upgraded," said Bob Laszewski, a health care industry consultant. "It's like showing up at the airline counter and being told, 'You have no choice, $300 please. You're getting a first-class ticket, why are you complaining?'"
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[S]ome saw the [president’s] promise as too broad, given that health plans are constantly being changed by the employers that sponsor them or by insurers directly.
Nonetheless, Democrats in Congress devised a complicated scheme called "grandfathering" to try to deliver on Obama's pledge. It can shield plans from many of the law's requirements, provided the plans themselves change little.
State officials said it has proven impractical in most cases for insurers to "grandfather" plans sold to individuals.
A drastic shift in the socio-economic dynamic of this country is underway. Another great transfer of wealth from the working young to the retired elderly is inevitable. The consequences of which are unknown, but it’s not looking like the utopia of health care coverage for all. After all, most Americans were worried about costs, which this new law does little to address. One would think that such a shift would be newsworthy. Apparently, it’s not a top priority at the moment.
UPDATE: The Hill reported today that premiums could rise 40% under Obamacare.
