ObamaCare Fails Its Physical Exam

June 14, 2012

 Doctors Give ObamaCare a “D” as Evidence Grows that the Democrats’ Healthcare Disaster Will Increase Healthcare Costs and Hike Premiums

  • A new survey shows doctors give ObamaCare a “D” for failing to control healthcare costs and believe the law won’t improve healthcare quality or increase patient control of healthcare choices.
  • It’s not hard to see why, as evidence grows that ObamaCare is contributing to rising healthcare costs.
  • Those costs are being passed onto Americans in the form of higher premiums and dropped coverage.

A new survey shows doctors give ObamaCare a “D” for failing to control healthcare costs and believe the law won’t improve healthcare quality or increase patient control of healthcare choices:

OBAMACARE GETS A “D” AVERAGE IN SURVEY OF 2,694 DOCTORS: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

68% OF DOCTORS GAVE OBAMACARE A “C,” “D” OR “F”: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012)

THIS IS WHAT A FAILING GRADE LOOKS LIKE:

70% OF DOCTORS SAID OBAMACARE “WOULD NOT STEM RISING HEALTHCARE COSTS”: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012)  

67% SAID OBAMACARE “WOULD NOT IMPROVE THE DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP”: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,”Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

66% SAID OBAMACARE WOULD GIVE DOCTORS “LESS CONTROL OVER THEIR PRACTICE DECISIONS”: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

61% SAID OBAMACARE WON’T IMPROVE HEALTHCARE QUALITY: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

55% SAID OBAMACARE SHOULD BE REPEALED AND CONGRESS SHOULD START OVER: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

49% SAID OBAMACARE WOULD CAUSE PATIENTS TO HAVE LESS CONTROL OVER THEIR HEALTHCARE: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,” Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012) 

JUST 12% SAID OBAMACARE “BROUGHT THE REFORM NEEDED IN HEALTHCARE”: (“Survey Findings: Physician Attitudes on the Affordable Care Act,”Jackson Healthcare, 6/11/2012)

It’s not hard to see why, as evidence grows that ObamaCare is contributing to rising healthcare costs:

HEALTHCARE COSTS TO RISE 7.4% AS OBAMACARE TAKES FULL EFFECT: “In 2014, health spending growth is expected to accelerate to 7.4 percent as the major coverage expansions from the Affordable Care Act begin.” (Sean P. Keehan, Gigi A Kuckler, et al, “National Health Expenditure Projections: Modest Annual Growth Until Coverage Expands and Economic Growth Accelerates,” Health Affairs, July 2012) 

OBAMACARE TO INCREASE HEALTHCARE COSTS BY $478 BILLION THROUGH 2021: “For 2011 through 2021, national health spending is projected to grow at an average rate of 5.7 percent annually, which would be 0.9 percentage point faster than the expected annual increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) during this period. During this period, the Affordable Care Act is projected… to add about $478 billion in cumulative health spending.” (Sean P. Keehan, Gigi A Kuckler, et al, “National Health Expenditure Projections: Modest Annual Growth Until Coverage Expands and Economic Growth Accelerates,” Health Affairs, July 2012) 

YET ANOTHER BROKEN OBAMA PROMISE: “And everybody who’s looked at it says that every single good idea to bend the cost curve and start actually reducing health care costs are in this bill.” (Remarks By President To House Democratic Congress, States News Service, 3/20/2010)

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Finally, my proposal would bring down the cost of health care for millions — families, businesses, and the federal government.”(“Remarks by the President on Health Care Reform,” The White House, 3/3/2010)

Those costs are being passed onto Americans in the form of higher premiums and dropped coverage:

BROKEN OBAMA PROMISE: “THIS LAW WILL LOWER PREMIUMS.” (“Remarks by the President at the Families USA Health Action Conference,” The White House, 1/28/2011)

OBAMACARE TO INCREASE PRIVATE INSURANCE PREMIUMS BY 4.1% IN 2014: “In 2014, growth in private health insurance premiums is expected to accelerate to 7.9 percent, or 4.1 percentage points higher than in the absence of health reform.” Sean P. Keehan, Gigi A Kuckler, et al, “National Health Expenditure Projections: Modest Annual Growth Until Coverage Expands and Economic Growth Accelerates,” Health Affairs, July 2012)

20 MILLION WORKERS COULD LOSE THEIR EMPLOYER-SPONSORED INSURANCE: “A new report from the Congressional Budget Office hands critics of the health reform law a great new talking point: Under a worst-case scenario, the law could lead to 20 million people losing their employer-sponsored insurance in 2019.” (J. Lester Feder, “CBO: ACA Could Jeopardize Workplace Coverage,” Politico, 3/15/2012)

FAMILY HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS ROSE 9% IN 2011, WITH OBAMACARE PLAYING A ROLE: (Julie Appleby, “Cost of Employer Insurance Plans Surge in 2011,” Kaiser Health News, 9/27/2011)

22% JUMP IN PREMIUMS FOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO DUE TO OBAMACARE: “University of New Mexico students who want to purchase health insurance through the school likely will pay 22 percent more next year, with premiums jumping by $300 to around $1,700 annually. … The expansion in health insurance coverage mandated by President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act is causing an increase in premiums in most student insurance plans around the country, student health and counseling director Beverly Kloeppel told the Journal last month.” (Astrid Galvan, “UNM Student Health Insurance to Increase 22%,” Albuquerque Journal, 6/8/2012)

OBAMACARE IS “ELIMINATING SOME INSURANCE OPTIONS” FOR STUDENTS: (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)

COLLEGES “DROPPING STUDENT HEALTH-INSURANCE PLANS FOR THE COMING ACADEMIC YEAR” DUE TO OBAMACARE: “Some colleges are dropping student health-insurance plans for the coming academic year and others are telling students to expect sharp premium increases because of a provision in the federal health law requiring plans to beef up coverage.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)

OTHER STUDENTS MAY SEE SHARPLY RISING PREMIUMS: “For those colleges that choose to keep their health-insurance plans, students may see sharply rising premiums.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)

600,000 STUDENTS COULD BE AFFECTED: “Around 600,000 students, about 7% of the total number of 18-to-23-year-olds in college, bought their own insurance, generally plans arranged by schools for which students pay all the premiums, the GAO study said.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)

SMALLER SCHOOLS, THOSE SERVING LOW-INCOME STUDENTS TO BE HIT HARDEST: “Smaller colleges and those serving lower-income students typically have had the skimpier plans, and they are among the first to announce significant changes. Some schools are still deciding what to do next year.”(Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)

“A DEATH SPIRAL OF HIGHER PREMIUMS AND EVEN LOWER ENROLLMENT”:“George Voss of Oregon State’s student health service said he worried that increased premiums could lead to fewer healthy students signing up, leaving only the sicker ones and triggering a death spiral of higher premiums and even lower enrollment. ‘At some point it becomes untenable to have a plan,’ he said.” (Louise Radnofsky, “Big Changes Coming in College Health Plans,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/4/2012)