Fix Health Care Policy

Side Effects: Obamacare Expands Medicaid, Makes A Big Problem Worse

In 2014, Obamacare’s key provisions will kick in, and among them is a huge expansion of Medicaid. Obamacare extends eligibility to almost everyone with income below 138 percent of the federal poverty level under the age of 65.

A report released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows the impact the expansion will have: “This expansion, together with greater participation by individuals eligible under current rules, is projected to add 14.9 million people to enrollment in 2014 and 25.9 million people by 2020—26 percent and 44 percent, respectively, compared to pre-[Obamacare] estimates.”

This means that by 2020, Medicaid enrollment will reach 85 million, or approximately one in four Americans. This level of dependence distorts the original purpose of the government program, which was intended to serve as a safety net for only the most vulnerable.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: bankrupting America, failing program, Medicaid Expansion, Obamacare provisions

Critics Are Wrong: Conservatives Have a Plan for Health Reform

Following last week’s Supreme Court arguments, supporters of the President’s health care law are once again criticizing opponents of the law for failing to offer their own alternative. They are wrong.

The Heritage Foundation, for example, has outlined a detailed and comprehensive approach to reforming health care in Saving the American Dream. There are four core elements of this conservative alternative.

1. Repealing Obamacare

Patient-centered, market-based health care is incompatible with the fundamental construct of Obamacare. Obamacare is based on turning more power over health care dollars and decisions to Washington. In sharp contrast, the Heritage plan is based on turning more power over health care dollars and decisions to individuals and families.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: conservative alternatives, Medicare premium support, repeal Obamacare, tax treatment health insurance

Side Effects: Obamacare Adds $17 Trillion to Long-Term Unfunded Government Spending

Last week, the Senate Budget Committee Republican staff released a report revealing that, over the next 75 years, Obamacare will add an additional $17 trillion in unfunded obligations—i.e., the benefits promised by the federal government that haven’t yet been paid for.

Before Obamacare, federal programs were already responsible for racking up 75-year unfunded obligations of an astounding $65 trillion. According to the report, Medicare accounted for $38 trillion, Medicaid was responsible for over $20 trillion, and Social Security added $7 trillion.

With the enactment of Obamacare, projected federal unfunded obligations have increased by $17 trillion, now totaling $82 trillion. Obamacare’s massive Medicaid expansion and new exchange subsidies are largely to blame.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: $17 trillion, entitlements, Medicaid, Medicare, ObamaCare, Senate Budget Committee, unfunded obligations

In the Court of Public Opinion, Government-Run Health Care Never Wins

No matter what decision the Supreme Court releases in late June, in the court of public opinion, Obamacare has been a loser since day one.

Polls over the last two years have shown the public does not support the law. As Heritage expert Bob Moffit explains via a brief lesson in health policy history, “Based on Washington’s record of health policymaking, ending or rolling back Obamacare is hardly implausible.”

Throughout time, the public’s view on health care has consistently shown that Americans want to keep their current coverage, they don’t want to pay more, and they don’t trust government to control their health care.

The people’s opinion holds great power. Take, for example, the repeal of the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988. Despite support from a bipartisan majority, that legislation was repealed a year after its passage. When the public learned of its details and potential impact, they retracted their support. The law’s costs were double what the Congressional Budget Office originally estimated, and it forced seniors to pay for benefits they didn’t want.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: negative, ObamaCare, public opinon, repeal the law

Chart of the Week: Estimated Loss of Health Coverage Under Obamacare

President Obama has reassured Americans that if they like their current health insurance, they can keep it.

“If you’ve got health insurance through your employer, you can keep your health insurance, keep your choice of doctor, keep your plan,” Obama insisted on Oct. 15, 2008.

But two years after signing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, Obama gave many Americans a false sense of security that Obamacare won’t change the status quo.

Four reputable research institutions have run the numbers and found that not only is Obama’s claim false, but employees will be dropped from their current coverage by the millions. This week’s chart outlines each of the four studies.

Read the rest on The Foundry…

Tags: dropped coverage, employers, false security, ObamaCare, uninsured

PODCAST: Rep. Steve King on Obamacare, Budget

In a special Heritage podcast, Congressman Steve King (R – IA) discusses Obamacare’s challenge in the Supreme Court and the budget. Click here to listen.

In the case the Supreme Court does not rule Obamacare unconstitutional, is Congress still willing to fight the law? If so, how? And is it true, as the left contends, that if the law is overturned, it would represent judicial activism?

Listen to the congressman answer these questions and more.

To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes.

To listen to more Heritage Foundation podcasts, visit our podcast page.

Tags: ObamaCare, Podcast, Rep. Steve King, repeal the law, unconstitutional