Research Briefing

ONE YEAR LATER, THE REVIEWS OF OBAMACARE REMAIN BRUTAL

Forbes’ David Whelan: “The President’s Two Selling Points–That You Can Keep The Health Coverage You Have And That Costs Would Come Down–Have Both Been Proven To Be Factually Challenged.” (David Whelan, “Happy Birthday To ObamaCare, Though The Party Might Not Last Long,” Forbes’ “Health Dollars” Blog, 3/23/11)

• Whelan: “Health reform part two has been discussed almost since the first bill was signed. Why? Because this one is unsustainable fiscally.” (David Whelan, “Happy Birthday To ObamaCare, Though The Party Might Not Last Long,” Forbes’ “Health Dollars” Blog, 3/23/11)

The Wall Street Journal: According To Updated CBO Estimates, ObamaCare’s Cost “Will Be Far More Expensive Than Advertised.” “The discrepancy emerged in a CBO analysis released Friday, not that it got much media attention. We thought you'd like to know, and we also want to underline a less-noticed section that shows that ObamaCare will be far more expensive than advertised.” (Editorial, “Unhappy Anniversary,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/23/11)

• WSJ: CBO Increased Its Cost Estimates By 8.6 Percent To $1.13 Trillion. “To wit, CBO says the entitlement's health insurance subsidies will cost $1.13 trillion between 2012 and 2021, not $1.04 trillion, the prior estimate. This 8.6% jump is the result of revised assumptions, the so-called technical factors in CBO's budget model. The bill's total cost now stands at $1.445 trillion, according to another recent CBO estimate.” (Editorial, “Unhappy Anniversary,” The Wall Street Journal, 3/23/11)
• CBO Estimates Obamacare’s Health Insurance Subsidies Will Increase In Cost From $1.04 Trillion To $1.13 Trillion. “In particular, the provisions related to expanding health insurance coverage were projected to increase the deficit between 2012 and 2021 by $1.04 trillion, on net, in CBO’s January baseline; they are now projected to increase the deficit by $1.13 trillion over that period.” (Congressional Budget Office, “Preliminary Analysis Of The President’s Budget For 2012,” 3/18/11)

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz: “Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz Says The Health Overhaul Law's Employer Requirements Will Impose ‘Too Great’ A Pressure On Small Businesses.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Starbucks CEO Rethinks Health Law Position,” Politico, 3/22/11)

• Starbuck’s Schultz: “Schultz supported the law as he watched his company's health insurance tab — $250 million as of last year — surmount its coffee bill. But he told The Seattle Times in an interview published Tuesday that he's now worried about what happens when it takes full effect in 2014…” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Starbucks CEO Rethinks Health Law Position,” Politico, 3/22/11)

The Associated Press: “In neighboring Missouri, an insurance company's campaign to get small businesses to sign up by taking advantage of new tax breaks has yielded mixed results.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Health Law At One Year: Future Still In Question,” The Associated Press, 3/21/11)

• AP: “One of the chief promoters of the idea is Ron Rowe, an executive of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. … But Rowe says many business owners found the math didn't work for them.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Health Law At One Year: Future Still In Question,” The Associated Press, 3/21/11)
• AP: "The longer this has been out in the marketplace, the less appealing it's been to small-business owners," he said. A typical employee with 10 workers would have to pay about $31,000 a year for health insurance and recover only 10 percent to 15 percent of that through the new tax credit. (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Health Law At One Year: Future Still In Question,” The Associated Press, 3/21/11)

AMERICANS ARE AS SKEPTICAL AS EVER

 THAT OBAMACARE WILL IMPROVE CARE  OR REDUCE COSTS

Politico: “Although Democrats Insisted That The ACA Would Become More Popular Once The Congressional Debate Ended And The Benefits Started To Kick In, The Reverse Has Actually Happened.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Where Are The Health Care All-Stars?,” Politico, 3/23/11)

• Politico: “According to a Kaiser Health Tracking poll released Friday, 46 percent of the public opposes the law, up from 40 percent a year ago. Only 42 percent support the law, down from 46 percent a year ago.” (Jennifer Haberkorn, “Where Are The Health Care All-Stars?,” Politico, 3/23/11)

Gallup Poll: “Most Americans Are Skeptical That The Law Will Improve Medical Care In The U.S. Or Their Own Personal Medical Care.” (Frank Newport, “One Year Later, Americans Split On Healthcare Law,” Gallup, 3/21/11)

• Gallup: “Well less than half of Americans believe the law will make medical care better either for the United States as a whole, or for them personally. In both regards, more believe the law will make things worse rather than better.” (Frank Newport, “One Year Later, Americans Split On Healthcare Law,” Gallup, 3/21/11)

The Washington Post: “The Dominant Feeling About The Legislation, The Surveys Show, Is Confusion — Now Reported By 53 Percent, Just Two Percentage Points Less Than 11 Months Ago.” (Amy Goldstein and N.C. Aizeman, “As Health-Care Law Turns 1, Supporters Using Occasion To Shape Its Image,” The Washington Post, 3/22/11)

CNN/Opinion Research Poll Confirmed Nearly 60 Percent Of Americans Still Oppose ObamaCare. “According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Wednesday, on the one year anniversary of the signing of the law, 37 percent of Americans support the measure, with 59 percent opposed.” (“CNN Poll: Time Doesn't Change Views On Health Care Law,” CNN’s “Political Ticker” Blog, 3/23/11)

• “That's Basically Unchanged From Last March, When 39 Percent Supported The Law And 59 Percent Opposed The Measure.” (“CNN Poll: Time Doesn't Change Views On Health Care Law,” CNN’s “Political Ticker” Blog, 3/23/11)