Democrats React to New Study
A Newly Released Study Shoots Holes in the Health Care Bill
Oct 13, 2009
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus’s health care legislation came under fire today as the insurance industry revealed a self-funded study that states the proposed bill will sharply increase the cost of private health insurance. In a myway.com article By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Dems scramble after warning from health insurers, Karen Ignagni, president of America's Health Insurance Plans said that the PricewaterhouseCoopers study predicted annual increases of $1700.00 for family health coverage, and up to a $4000.00 over a ten year period.
What's in the Study
The study made a point of discrediting one of the pinnacle achievements of the legislation. Baucus’s bill is estimating coverage for up to 94 percent of eligible Americans, which currently stands at 83 percent. The insurance industry study takes issue with this point stating that in order to be effective, coverage would need to be in the upper 90 percent range. The matter is further complicated by the recent move by senators to weaken the fine for not failing to get coverage Alonso-Zaldivar’s report states.
Ignagni stood firmly behind the merits of the study and did not rule out a series of commercials touting the study’s findings. She pointed to the validity of the findings by stating Pricewaterhouse Cooper “a world-class firm with a stellar reputation.”
Democrats Respond
Backlash from the release of the study’s findings was immediate as Democratic interests sought to discredit the study. A CNN.com article, Rates to rise under Senate health plan, industry group says, White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said, “This is a self-serving analysis from the insurance industry, one of the major opponents of health insurance reform.” That sentiment was compounded by Finance Committee spokesman Scott Malhauser who added that the report was, “a health insurance company hatchet job -- plain and simple.”
The Finance Committee also stated, according to Alonso-Zaldivar’s report, that it is impossible to predict premiums as precisely as the study reported because there are too many variables to consider.
The Democrats' Challenge
The release of this study; Congress’ approval rating (which currently stands at 18 percent according to Gallup); and the government’s poor public standing in general all add up to a large obstacle for the Democrats to overcome. Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, employs over 20,000 people. Mr. Wynn was recently quoted on the Rush Limbaugh show as saying, “Government has never increased the standard of living of one single human being in civilization's history.”
This, coupled with a series of media advertisements seeking discrediting the health care plan, could spell trouble for the Democrats in their bid to get the proposed health care legislation approved.
The only certainty is that the true merits of this study will not be known until further investigation completed.
Sources:
CNN.com
www.gallup.com
apnews.myway.com
www.rushlimbaugh.com
 |
