CBO: Health care law may cause up to 20M to lose coverage

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When -- developments today and I think health care law remember how we heard President Obama say a lot.

A lot many times during a fierce debate over the health care overhaul.

That's if you like your doctor.

You'll be able to keep your doctor period if you like your health care plan.

You'll be able to keep your health care plan.

-- here no one.

Won't take elect.

No matter what let me be clear.

If you like your doctor or health care provider you can keep them.

If you like your health care plan you can keep that to first no matter what you've heard if you like your doctor or health care plan.

You can keep it said this once or twice but it bears repeating.

If you like your current insurance.

You will keep your current insurance.

No government -- nobody's nobody's changing what you've got if you're happy with.

If you like your doctor.

You'll be able to keep your -- While it turns out they that may not necessarily be the case.

A report just yesterday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office finds that in a worst case scenario.

Twenty million Americans could lose their employer provided coverage.

Joining us now to discuss it Fox Business Network anchor Melissa Francis.

Fox News medical -- team -- doctor Marc Siegel he's a professor of medicine at NYU's.

-- -- medical center and Bernard Whitman is a former pollster for Bill Clinton.

So.

This was the concern that even though he said it many times it wasn't going to prove to be true and now the nonpartisan CBO.

It's given us arranged so it's tough to say Melissa because they say as many as twentieth that let you gotta love -- the CBO as many as -- when he and a million Americans could lose their coverage.

Or several million American could gain coverage right -- that you know a lot of you.

We'll see that the real numbers probably somewhere between 35 million people who had employee health care coverage that -- now it's all about now.

I mean an employer only has so much money that they can spend on health care so health care isn't free if you're gonna mandate more health care that money has to come from somewhere.

The employer either is going to pay people less so it affect -- paying port or to lay people off.

You know I talked to a large company CEO at the time he said he's gonna have to lower wages lower bonuses overtime in order Paper this I talked to on the other -- a real steeper over that time.

That said that she's gonna have to make her employees.

You know part time or contract players because she.

Just -- -- it's not pretty -- port rather talk about it they they say it could be twenty worst case scenarios twenty million people.

They say probably be more like Ford three to five million fewer people are gonna obtain coverage through their employer every year though that is every year between nineteen -- twenty.

220.

Doctor -- you suggested this would happen at the time what -- -- let's just talk about what does the world look like -- those people lose their employer.

Insurance coverage and they gonna wanna add that the McKenzie report last year said thirty to 50% of employees could lose their coverage and they pointed out that 85% of those.

Would probably still stay at their jobs and that's another important point -- -- action we have good job but here's.

It's gonna change you can't like not you can't that's I quit your job they take away your partnership -- idiot do your job.

Absolutely but look military affect my office half of doctors are not taking medicate so viewing them getting shoved -- -- the state exchanges which everybody thinks is gonna happen you're gonna get -- keep insurance if he and individual mandates things and -- you get some subsidize insurance that I'm.

My ability think in my office or Medicaid.

Which I don't take so the idea.

-- the government has an option for you doesn't mean your doctor's gonna participate now you better believe -- so the idea that you get to keep your doctor has always been.

Not true not true and now what we're seeing you're not gonna get to keep your plan.

You're not gonna get to keep your plan and the new playing again but I'm probably not gonna take Bernard what what what what can look -- about let's get the facts straight here.

First of all before the health care law if an employer chose for whatever reason not to offer -- security and health care.

You were out of luck under this of obamacare.

You will be covered in fact thirty million people who do not have insurance today will be covered by 2016 -- -- fact number -- Women does that yeah.

-- never any question that people who don't have health insurance are going to be better off.

With that out with a -- governor -- the question is people who had existing employer based coverage are they going to be better and those people who it.

You work for employers to decide not to that offer health insurance will be covered through the exchanges.

Or through Medicaid matching us that -- It causes health care law which regularly -- It's also good luck with no one has talked about this bill has been reduced by fifty billion dollars but but we're not talking about the cops were talking about whether people don't know whether that -- we -- President Obama make over and over and over with -- -- government that truly love what does not contain telling you said.

Even a little help -- -- your health care thing you know if it wasn't.

Like health you're getting from your employer right now that's what he said that you can keep and said let me be clear if you like your insurance -- you just enough not to is that I think there was a lot of just the government -- force employers know.

To provide suggesting that that's just coaches aren't demanding Gingrich when he was that I really love -- finish ahead -- I'm suggesting is misrepresenting the truth when he said that and we knew that the time we talked to players we said here's what the president say is that true.

They said no because a lot of these plans are gonna end up going away.

If I have to pay more I'm going to be offering to fewer people I only have a hundred dollars say to spend on health care.

Fight to pay more per person I can cover fewer people that's -- yeah.

Salient.

But these thirty million that are getting added let's talk about the from -- because the president will agree that sixteen million of them -- get Medicaid are making the point.

That a lot of doctors are not taking Medicaid and the other sixteen million.

Are not given up on employer based insurance they're gonna in the but the statements changes.

There's an open mandate here to get people at those exchanges and the point I'm making why a lot of the exchanges are gonna have federally subsidized subsidized.

Insurance coverage which comes out of the taxpayers.

Pocket but that did that -- to rise point about cost because you claimed that the capita cost for this health care program.

Have gone down significant by fifty billion dollars but also let's talk about the real world we all know the CBO.

Makes wild estimates and I'm sort of shocked to hear Republicans want to CBO when -- the tactic so many times.

What happened under Romney care which is debate this is an article go to hell what -- this is from an -- on -- -- run -- I don't excuse me excuse me -- what happened -- Romney care.

Was that employer sponsored health plans enrollment they're actually would pop so we're the only example we have this actually playing on -- practice.

-- -- Adding to the number of individuals.

Being covered under employer plans I think that we -- to see what happens in the real world.

And not get too tied.

To the CBO estimates that strange retreat and finally -- -- and unemotional -- senate -- -- -- -- I think we all agreed that it seems like the point is to drive people to these government controlled exchanges I think we can all agree on -- -- I don't I don't see him at all do you wanna be in the government and police say that the government is controlling and I think that's why they -- -- do it.

And this is also more -- report but you know something the economic climate is very different now than it was in 2006.

Employers can't afford the health coverage anymore and another thing the draft regulations of the health reform law making them.

All for the kind of plans that have low co pays and low deductibles and have higher premiums employers can't afford the kind of insurance they don't.

Right yeah I just a ticket that says something you said a minute ago that -- so it in the reality we're talking 2019 so this is not -- to distant future.

It if if my employer drops my health insurance coverage and I'm forced to go on the exchange and then may need for -- my five existing doctors don't take.

That insurance or won't won't service me because money exchange where my eight where -- -- go your new doctor will be called an emergency room.

That's where your.

If you're wealthy person you'll pay out of pocket and you go to that seem doctor that -- -- notable for who doesn't take insurance and we'll end up with a two tiered society.

Where people with money.

Can go in by the health care they really -- out of -- Yeah.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Can we talk about with some of the benefits of them so little is negative hypotheticals now we don't know not our segment is about what part of -- did we and our viewers not familiar that hit into the -- -- 5000085.

Million people took advantage of preventative care last year for now -- 126 no pre -- no not -- -- and that -- all -- respect our viewers know the benefits -- the health -- -- is -- -- some great benefits to -- there's no question and it's gonna ensure a lot of people who need insurance.

This segment is about whether people who -- existing employer based health care are gonna lose it contrary to the promises that were made that's what we're talking.

Good bad -- -- is that true.

I think we have to look at what's happened in the real world.

And we look to Massachusetts which is the -- example that simply did not take place why the cavaliers that they didn't suffer these -- enrollment in employer sponsored plans under Romney care went up what of that doctor -- That's a different time I -- it's a different economic climate also the plans that are under Obama care much much more expensive especially because the co pays are being gotten rid of so it's gonna cost employers too much that can handle this.

And the the other thing that got.

In Massachusetts they put more of a co pay on the individual.

Patient absolutely and in under the president Barack -- -- -- -- Now the premiums are going through the roof and and the one thing that did occur in Massachusetts is there was a long waiting -- for doctors after Romney care passed.

Where is gonna see that now here's the bottom line doctors cannot afford to work with this insurance that is not are not paying us enough to keep our doors open that's the direction we're hit a good.

At least some doctors -- go.

He's just so I don't -- eases my new doctor is going to be the emergency room but there would be some doctors who will take them that insurance by the exchange there will be some doctors -- take if we will see that two tiered system where they're very great doctors that you wanna -- see you're gonna -- an exorbitant -- you want to -- very wealthy people -- gonna -- that's isn't that already happening I mean do you have any -- -- I can I think they already several my doctors have gone to cash only right I mean this is the president has said he's been trying to get around the two -- system.

Right now it's gonna go more in that direction what we've -- in New York the real answer is that you have to get people closer to paying for what they're actually receiving I mean the whole idea of insurance where you pay a premium for the hearing your employer does and you go and cost -- nothing to have a baby.

I mean that was not sustainable over time that need to be yesteryear -- -- There I want I -- -- -- faster Bernard what what do we make of the CBS saying because a mini that you do have to love these numbers.

This twenty million who could lose their employer provided coverage is the worst case scenario.

Quote the law could just as well increase the number of people who have employer based coverage.

By three million.

I'm one of the American people that elite has so it's a twenty minute to lose it three million -- -- it.

And the headline was they don't expect significant changes the number of employers are offering insurance -- -- and if so why the very good because.

They are estimating things that are happening ten years from now who could have predicted a seven in 1999.

That the bottom would -- out of the economy in 2008 so the answer is we don't know we had taken -- step at a time have to look at recent models which sell.

Apparently some -- -- is not like who advertises on fox that he predicted that and predicted everything else has happened since the nineteen and he shot yeah.

Despite his book but he he claims he for ideologies and report yep.

-- a doctor not only may not take insurance he's also probably going to be working in a hospital or clinic doctors are not staying in private practice.

-- that I Fuzzy wanna go to the emergency room.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- His number is -- Thank you all so much pleasure.

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CBO: Health care law may cause up to 20M to lose coverage

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