Obamacare at Six Months
Alex Adrianson /
Yesterday marks six months since the passage of Obamacare. Here’s a quick review of what’s happened since then and what we have learned about the law:
1. Almost immediately after passage of the law, a number of major corporations had to take large write-downs against expectations of higher health care costs in the future. AT&T took a charge of $1 billion. Higher costs for companies mean fewer jobs.
2. The law will not lower national health care expenditures. The latest estimates by the government’s own actuaries now say annual per capita spending will actually rise by $265 when the law’s provisions are fully in effect. But those estimates assume draconian cuts in doctor reimbursement will take place; elsewhere, Medicare’s actuaries say those cuts can never happen without jeopardizing access to care—which is to say Congress will never let them happen. (more…)