The closer we approach the full implementation of Obamacare in 2014, the worse the economic outlook becomes. The CBO, (Congressional Budget Office,) released a report this month projecting that unemployment will rise in the last quarter of this year, and what little economic growth there is will slow by next year. Add to this the fact that there are millions of baby boomers set to retire, enrolling in the Medicare entitlement program which is facing insolvency. Grouped together these dire situations form the perfect storm, leaving many Arizona health insurance policy holder’s holding the bag, a bag with ever increasing premiums while paychecks and interest income on nest eggs plummet.
For the next two years it is projected that economic growth will slow from two percent this year to one percent next year. One must keep in mind that these are the government’s projections, not from a Republican think-tank or one of the right leaning publications on television or print. Arizona employer’s are preparing for the worst, yet hoping for the best of course. With profit margin’s at their lowest point ever, any increase in Arizona health insurance premiums will surely put many companies in the poor house at worst, and the remaining employers simply not hiring at best. With unemployment projected to be 8.9% by the end of the year, and 9.3% by next year, it becomes painfully obvious that something must be done, and quickly. Anything short of a complete turnover of the Obamacare law by the Supreme Court this June will only exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately for Arizona Medicare and Medicaid participants, along with everyone else in the nation, a complete reversal of the law is unlikely, leaving more questions than answers, and sky high premiums continuing their upward charge.
The CBO also estimates that due to Obamacare, enrollment in Medicaid and other health insurance policies such as Arizona’s AHCCCS program will explode come 2014, adding trillions of dollars to the debt load Arizona and the nation already carry.
It is important to note that the CBO report projects lower deficits in the coming years based on increased tax revenue and lower reimbursement rates for physicians. The fact that these cuts in health insurance reimbursement rates have never happened in the past, or will ever take place in the near future should be made clear, the, “Doc Fix,” popping up every few months to continue payments at their current levels. As for the tax revenue increase, it should also be noted that neither the president or Congress supports letting the Bush tax cuts expire, as the CBO calculated into their findings. The report, calculating that a 30% cut in pay to doctors will take place this year, (again, this will never happen,) still concludes that the economy is going to get worse before it gets better. With the rosiest of numbers to work with, (by law the CBO must use figures based on current law such as the Bush tax cuts set to expire,) the CBO has told us in the strongest possible terms that those in Arizona and everywhere else in this country are in for a world of hurt, as if things were not bad enough already.
Arizona health insurance policy holder’s must prepare for the worst and hope for the best, just like Arizona employer’s offering group health insurance policies to their employee’s. Raise those deductibles, enroll in Health Savings Account qualified plans, (HSA,) and shop for the Arizona health insurance company that offers the best negotiated rates for medical services for their members…that company being a non-profit named Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona.