12 Days of Obamacare Surprises: Loss of Employer-Sponsored Insurance
Drew Gonshorowski /
Not all surprises are good. When it comes to Obamacare, the original projections are turning into unfortunately different realities. For the next six days, Heritage is going to highlight one of the various changes in Obamacare projections (e.g., cost, enrollment, etc.) from when the law first passed until now.
Under Obamacare, most employers will either provide government-approved health coverage or drop coverage, pay a penalty, and send their employees to the new government-subsidized exchanges.
In 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that by 2019, three million fewer individuals would have employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) due to Obamacare’s impact.
In March 2012, the CBO updated its estimate to show that by 2016, six million fewer Americans would be enrolled in employer coverage.
In a separate report, the CBO projected the loss of ESI under different scenarios, one of which showed a loss of ESI coverage for 20 million Americans by 2019. The CBO reports show that businesses are less likely to offer coverage to employees under Obamacare.
Surprise: If you like your coverage, Obamacare might prevent you from keeping it. While estimates vary on exactly how many people will lose their coverage, it’s clear that it will be millions. Obamacare is the gift that keeps on giving—results that Americans don’t want.
12 Days of Obamacare Surprises:
6. A 50/50 split on enrollment estimates…
5. More uninsured Americans…
4. Increased exchange subsidies…
3. Big tax increases…
2. The small business tax credit…
1. And the individual mandate.