Fewer people will have job-based insurance (CBO)

[antigop]

http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/08/news/economy/employer-health-insurance/index.html

As "Obamacare" kicks in, a growing number of Americans will move away from employer-provided health insurance plans, according to the latest forecasts from the Congressional Budget Office.

Some 7 million people are expected to lose or drop their employment-based coverage by 2022, according to CBO. That's up from the 4 million the agency estimated in August.

Around 170 million Americans currently have heath insurance tied to their jobs, according to the latest U.S. Census data.

Those who lose that coverage won't all be joining the ranks of the uninsured or the unemployed, though. Many are expected to shift into the health insurance exchanges being set up under the Affordable Care Act. The number of people participating in those exchanges is projected to grow from 7 million in 2014 -- the first year they'll be available -- to 24 million in 2016.

The CBO's forecast revision was prompted by a change to the tax laws under the fiscal cliff deal in January, which made the Bush tax cuts permanent for all but the wealthiest Americans. The CBO had previously crunched the numbers thinking that tax rates would rise for everyone.

[mike_c]

1. hard to see this as an improvement....

This is precisely what I was worried might happen-- the individual mandate eases pressure on employers to help insure a healthy work force. It transfers responsibility to workers, who will be required to foot the bill.

I'm a union, professional public employee, so I doubt that will happen to me, but I think it will eventually happen to LOTS of private sector workers. Maybe that will be the final impetus needed to drive single payer health care forward, but it will come at a high cost, I think.

[tartan2]

2. This will also effect pre-65 retirees which

are a huge part of an employer's legacy costs. I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, I do know that we cannot sustain the health care system we have at present. More change is needed but it will take time to make the changes.