Universal Coverage | Obamacare's Death Spiral

Fear the Death Spiral!

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: So Much For "Universal" Coverage  - Socialized medicine, with the promise of universal healthcare coverage, is the crown jewel of the left's big government agenda. In 2007, as he was preparing his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama told a union convention, "We can have universal health care by … by the end of my first term." Obamacare did not achieve universal coverage by 2012. In fact, it is costing more and more people the coverage they currently have.

Tuesday we told you that the CEO of Kroger grocery stores acknowledged that his company was contemplating dropping its health insurance because of Obamacare. This week it was reported that Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, will no longer be offering health insurance to its part-time employees as of December 31st of this year.

Why not? According to the Orlando Sentinel, the policy Universal offered its part-time employees "will no longer be permitted under the federal Affordable Care Act."

Let me repeat that so no one is confused or tempted to blame "corporate greed" for hurting the "little guy." According to the Orlando Sentinel, the policy Universal offered its part-time employees "will no longer be permitted under the federal Affordable Care Act."

As many as 500 Universal employees stand to lose their current health insurance because of Obamacare. The Sentinel also reports that Walt Disney World is currently evaluating the impact on its 1,400 part-time employees who currently have health insurance policies that will be banned by Obamacare.

This is happening all over the country, and, again, it's not because of "evil" Big Business. Small businesses and the self-employed are getting slammed too. This week I received the following email from a supporter:"Dear Mr. Bauer,

I just wanted to let you know that my husband and I have recently received a termination letter from our insurance company. We are self-employed and are covered by private insurance... The letter stated they will no longer be offering our plan in California and suggested we sign up in October with a state exchange. Nice, huh? What happened to "If you like your health plan you can keep it"?As time goes on and the onerous burdens of Obamacare increase, remind your friends and family members that it was Obama and his party that created this mess. Remember that when it comes time to go to the polls in 2014.

Obamacare's "Death Spiral" -  Many conservatives warned that Obamacare would not work. Even liberals complained it did not go far enough. Some have speculated that it may have been designed to fail, setting up the left to push for its real goal -- a single-payer, socialized system -- when it finally collapses.

In that same 2007 speech, Barack Obama also said, "I don't think we're going to be able to eliminate employer coverage immediately. There's going to be potentially some transition process." Obamacare is that "transition process."

A column this week in Investor's Business Daily explains why. Obamacare is actually making private health insurance more expensive, dramatically so for younger workers, and creating a "death spiral" for the private insurance industry. Consider these excerpts:"But as ObamaCare's official launch date approaches, even its backers are beginning to admit that the law could actually create powerful incentives for millions of people and thousands of businesses to drop their coverage, despite the mandate. There is growing concern, for example, that the law's market reforms will cause a huge 'rate shock,' particularly for those young and healthy.

"A February survey of major health insurance companies in five cities across the country found that they expect premiums for this group to climb an average 169%. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said late last year that he expects premiums to double for some small businesses and some individuals as a result of the law. …

"The problem is that if the young and healthy drop coverage, the result would be what the industry calls a 'death spiral.' Premiums will climb as the pool of insured gets sicker, causing still more to cancel their policies."As insurance costs skyrocket and more and more Americans remain uninsured, Democrats will never admit they were wrong about Obamacare. The left will simply contend that it wasn't allowed to go far enough, and the push for a full-fledged socialized healthcare system as the only alternative will begin in earnest.
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Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families where his articles are also shared.

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