Bending the Cost Curve or Bending the Truth?

More bad news on the health care front means more proof Barbara Boxer hasn't delivered the results she promised for the people of California. Today, the Democratic governor of Tennessee, Phil Bredesen, writes in The Wall Street Journal that the health care overhaul Boxer and her fellow Democrats in Congress championed is actually creating economic incentives for companies in his state to end employer-sponsored group health insurance.

Democratic Tennessee Governor Philip Bredesen: Health Overhaul Creates Incentives To Drop Employee Health Coverage. "Because of the magnitude of the new subsidies created by Congress, the economics become compelling for many employers to simply drop coverage and help their employees obtain replacement coverage through an exchange." (Philip Bredesen, Op-Ed, "ObamaCare's Incentive to Drop Insurance," The Wall Street Journal, 10/21/10)

Bredesen: Future Start Ups Less Likely To Offer Health Benefits For Employees. "For a person starting a business in 2014, it will be logical and responsible simply to plan from the outset never to offer health benefits … As it grows, the business can avoid a great deal of cost because the federal government will now pay much of what the business would have incurred for its share of health insurance. The small business tax credits included in health reform are limited and short-term, and the eventual penalty for not providing coverage, of $2,000 per employee, is still far less than the cost of insurance it replaces." (Philip Bredesen, Op-Ed, "ObamaCare's Incentive to Drop Insurance," The Wall Street Journal, 10/21/10)
And for those who think they're golden because their employers pledge to continue providing coverage, take note: your wallet will likely get a little thinner. It seems employees' health insurance premium costs are likely to rise by an average of 14 percent for family plans next year.
In 2011, Employee Health Care Premium Costs Will Increase On Average By 14 Percent. "Chances are you'll learn that your 2011 health insurance tab will be sharply higher, as companies continue to shift the burden of rising costs onto their workers. Employees' share of premiums for a family plan is up an average 14%, to $3,997, vs. just a 3% rise in the total bill, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation." (Michelle Andrews, "Cost Of Your Health Plan To Rise 14%," Money, 10/21/10)

  "And It's Not Just Premiums That Are Spiraling Higher. You're Also Likely To Be Hit With Higher Deductibles And Out-Of-Pocket Maximums As Well As Bigger Bills For Doctor's Visits And Drugs." (Michelle Andrews, "Cost Of Your Health Plan To Rise 14%," Money, 10/21/10)
Remember when Barbara Boxer was on book tour discussing health care reform last summer and claimed the overhaul was going to help lower the soaring cost of care? So much for her claim that the plan would "bend that cost curve." Or, if there's any bending happening, it's definitely bending of the truth – and not the cost curve.