Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, May 29, 2014
Debunking the Biggest Obamacare Myths
By NCPA @ 9:50 PM :: 3399 Views :: Health Care

Debunking the Biggest Obamacare Myths

NCPA May 29, 2014

For years, the Obama administration has propagated a number of popular myths about Obamacare. But despite promises, millions of Americans have already lost their health coverage due to the law, and many more will see their health care disrupted as Obamacare changes the American health system. In a new report, NCPA Senior Fellow John Graham debunks eight of the most pervasive myths surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

Myth: If you like your health plan, you can keep it.

  • Actually, 6 million people have had their insurance policies canceled, and another 19 million are enrolled in private health plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act's requirements.
  • Employee health plans were supposed to be grandfathered into the law, but they lose that protection when small changes -- such as a change in the deductible -- occur.
  • A government memo predicts that up to two-thirds of Americans with employer-provided health insurance will have to switch to more expensive, regulated plans and that, eventually, all plans will lose their grandfathered status.

Myth: If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.

  • In reality, many exchange plans have narrow networks that limit a patient's choice of doctor. In fact, a staggering 70 percent of California physicians are not in California's exchange networks.
  • Without an influx of new doctors, there is no realistic way to meet the demand that will be created by 26 million newly insured who seek to double their health care consumption. By 2015, the Association of American Medical Colleges predicts a shortfall of 21,000 primary care doctors.

Myth: There is an employer mandate to offer affordable coverage.

  • Actually, an employer is fined $2,000 for each employee if he refuses to provide health coverage. $2,000 is generally cheaper than the cost of health benefits, so many employees will stop offering health insurance.
  • Moreover, the Affordable Care Act incentivizes self-insured employers to offer very expensive coverage and require their employees to pay up to 9.5 percent of their wages in premiums and the full cost of coverage for their families. If an employee turns down this offer from his employer, he is not entitled to subsidies in the exchanges.

Myth: Health reform will lower the cost of health insurance by $2,500 a year per family.

  • In fact, coverage will become more expensive for everyone outside of a small portion of older, low-income adults who have access to highly subsidized exchange coverage.

These are just a few of the false promises of the Affordable Care Act. Graham explores many others, including claims about coverage for preexisting conditions, Medicare and the individual mandate.

Source: John Graham, "The Biggest Myths of Obamacare," National Center for Policy Analysis, May 2014.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT