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Since Obamacare’s Passage, Millions Have Lost Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance

Jeffrey H. Anderson

November 11, 2011 4:42 PM

Throughout the Obamacare debate, President Obama repeatedly promised, “If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” Now, Gallup reports that from the first quarter of 2010 (when Obama signed Obamacare into law) to the third quarter of this year, 2 percent of American adults lost their employer sponsored health insurance. In other words, about 4.5 million Americans lost their employer-sponsored insurance over a span of just 18 months. 

This is not what the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) had predicted would happen. Rather, the CBO had predicted that Obamacare would increase the number of people with employer-sponsored insurance by now.  It had predicted that, under Obamacare, 6 million more Americans would have employer-sponsored insurance in 2011 than in 2010 (see table 4, which shows the CBO’s projected increase of 3 million under (pre-Obamacare) current law and an additional 3 million under Obamacare). So the CBO’s rosy projections for Obamacare (and even these paint a frightening picture) are already proving false. 

Whether the decline in employer-sponsored insurance over the past 18 months is a product of Obamacare or of the Obama economy — and whether Obamacare is the principal cause of the anemic performance of the Obama economy — can be debated. But what’s clear is that, more than 25 months before Obamacare would really go into effect — if it’s not repealed first — employers are already dropping employees from their insurance rolls.

Take Walmart, for example — a prominent Obamacare supporter. Gallup writes,

“The nation's largest private employer, Wal-Mart, announced in October that new part-time employees who work less than an average of 24 hours a week would no longer be able to get their health insurance from the company. Wal-Mart laid out several other cuts to its health insurance offerings, including some workers’ ability get coverage for their spouses. Other companies have already made and will likely continue to make similar changes to their health insurance benefits….

“If Wal-Mart's decision is a precursor of how employers intend to manage their healthcare costs, the downward trend in employer-based healthcare will likely continue.”

So in addition to costing about $2.5 trillion over its real first decade (2014 to 2023), looting nearly $1 trillion from Medicare over that time (according to the CBO), forcing Americans to buy government-approved health insurance under penalty of law, and amassing unprecedented power and money in Washington at the expense of Americans’ liberty — if Obamacare stays on the books, you may like your health care plan, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can keep your health care plan. 

It’s time to repeal Obamacare.

Tell it like it is

Wynn CEO Goes On Epic Anti-Obama Rant On Company Conference Call

Who doesn't love a good rant?

We certainly do, and as usual, Steve Wynn, the CEO of casino company Wynn Resorts, delivered on his company's quarterly conference call today.

Via Seeking Alpha, here's the crux of it:

I believe in Las Vegas. I think its best days are ahead of it. But I'm afraid to do anything in the current political environment in the United States. You watch television and see what's going on on this debt ceiling issue. And what I consider to be a total lack of leadership from the President and nothing's going to get fixed until the President himself steps up and wrangles both parties in Congress. But everybody is so political, so focused on holding their job for the next year that the discussion in Washington is nauseating.

And I'm saying it bluntly, that this administration is the greatest wet blanket to business, and progress and job creation in my lifetime. And I can prove it and I could spend the next 3 hours giving you examples of all of us in this market place that are frightened to death about all the new regulations, our healthcare costs escalate, regulations coming from left and right. A President that seems, that keeps using that word redistribution. Well, my customers and the companies that provide the vitality for the hospitality and restaurant industry, in the United States of America, they are frightened of this administration.And it makes you slow down and not invest your money. Everybody complains about how much money is on the side in America.

You bet and until we change the tempo and the conversation from Washington, it's not going to change. And those of us who have business opportunities and the capital to do it are going to sit in fear of the President. And a lot of people don't want to say that. They'll say, God, don't be attacking Obama. Well, this is Obama's deal and it's Obama that's responsible for this fear in America.

The guy keeps making speeches about redistribution and maybe we ought to do something to businesses that don't invest, their holding too much money. We haven't heard that kind of talk except from pure socialists. Everybody's afraid of the government and there's no need soft peddling it, it's the truth. It is the truth. And that's true of Democratic businessman and Republican businessman, and I am a Democratic businessman and I support Harry Reid. I support Democrats and Republicans. And I'm telling you that the business community in this company is frightened to death of the weird political philosophy of the President of the United States. And until he's gone, everybody's going to be sitting on their thumbs.

Later in the call, he rants again about how hard it is to visit America (due to Homeland Security and visa issues), and what that means for Chinese visitors.

Precinct Reorganization, Myrtlewood #3

We have an opportunity once every 2 years to sign up to be precinct delegates and vote for county and state GOP leaders. If you want to have a say in how our local Republican party works, join me at our polling location for precinct reorganization.

The more precinct conservative delegates we have, the bigger the conservative voice becomes in the GOP in our county, state, and nationally!

The good thing is that it is really simple! On March 14th, at 7:00 PM, all you need to do is show up!

If you want to be on your county executive committee, the decision making body for your county party, then all you need to do is bring a couple of friends with you on March 14th and have them vote for you. 95% of the time that is all it takes.

You see, every two years the political parties in South Carolina are required to reorganize from the ground up. The only requirement to participate is that you be a registered voter.

The thing that most folks don’t know is that very few people show up for re-organization. Many precincts have no one show up. They are wide open!

The good thing about this is that activists like us can show up with a few friends and out number the establishment types. We can have the majority and become part of the leadership of the party simply by showing up!

Activists like you from all over South Carolina are learning that we can make our influence felt. We can control the way the Republican Party does its business. I expect we will have a controlling majority in many counties this time!

It is simple and it is fun! And best of all, it puts you in a leadership position in the party.

This is where it all starts … you, for the FIRST TIME perhaps, have a voice in how the GOP is organized in Horry County! Remember, This only happens once every two years. All you need to do is show up with your voter registration card!

This is our voter precinct and where to vote:

Precinct: Myrtlewood #3

Date: March 14, Time: 7:00 PM

Location: First Presbyterian Church of Myrtle Beach, 3810 Robert Grissom Parkway, Myrtle Beach, SC 29588