OBAMACARE is a job KILLER. 
Testifying today before the House Budget Committee, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf confirmed that Obamacare is expected to reduce the number of jobs in the labor market by an estimated 800,000. Here are excerpts from the exchange:
Chairman [Paul] Ryan: “[I]t’s been argued…that the new health care law will create jobs and increase labor force participation. But if I recall from your analysis, it was quite the opposite. Is that not the case?”
Director [Douglas] Elmendorf : “Yes.”…
[…]
Rep. [John] Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, we’ll — and Dr. Elmendorf — and we’ll continue this conversation right now. First on health care, before I get to — before I get to broader issues, you just mentioned that you believe — or that in your estimate, that the health care law would reduce the labor used in the economy by about 1/2 of 1 percent, given that, I believe you say, there’s 160 million full-time people working in ’20-’21. That means that, in your estimation, the health care law would reduce employment by 800,000 in ’20-’21. Is that correct?
Director Elmendorf: Yes. The way I would put it is that we do estimate, as you said, that…employment will be about 160 million by the end of the decade. Half a percent of that is 800,000.
Just Thursday, I was in a discussion with a co-worker, a guy I have known for almost 30 years. He’s a good guy, intelligent and strongly Democratic. We were talking about the Health Care law, with his opinion being that the law was needed. We sparred back on forth as to what exactly could have been passed instead of an overreaching life intruding bill which became law. He believes the bill originally started as small steps, steps him and I can agree on which then exploded with addendum’s from both political parties and created the 100,000 page monstrosity which became law. Now there is no factual proof to this belief he righteously stated, yet because he deeply believes this to be true, facts are thrown out the window and it becomes gospel.
The reason I bring this up is because one main tenet which he believes to be true and that he continually brought up was that the law needed passage so to create jobs. Which of course was one way which the administration sold this travesty to the willing sheeple of the country. When pressed as to how job creation would be accomplished, he could offer no concise explanation. When I suggested it would constrict employment as employers hesitate to hire new personal because of the high cost associated with mandatory insurance. <crickets>
Your assertion that health reform will “will cost 800,000 jobs” is a complete misrepresentation of what CBO and its Director, Doug Elmendorf, actually concluded. According to the CBO report, health reform will lower the costs of obtaining individual health insurance so much that some people who had previously taken jobs solely in order to obtain health insurance will choose not to work. If the lower cost of individual insurance means that a mother can stay home to look after her kids, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. And it certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with “costing 800,000 jobs”. You – like so many participants in the right wing echo chamber – have gotten this point 180 degrees wrong and have misinformed your readers about an important topic.
courage Reply:
March 1st, 2011 at 6:12 pm
Pete,
I understand you may not like the the direct quotes. I understand they do not fit neatly in to your ideology and probably cause you some cognitive dissonance. But the quotes are taken directly from the article referenced, they are what they are and no post modern twisting can change that fact.
Numerous papers have reported increases in health care costs across the board, often in the area of 9% annually. Many of the increases with individual health care policies swirl around the fact that there are now with Obamacare mandated minimum standards in coverage. Previously individuals could pick and choose what aspects they found important for their families well-being. For instance, if they did not foresee the need for drug and alcohol treatment coverage they could forgo this option, no longer.
As for suddenly this new Utopia of individuals staying home (stay-at-home dad or mom) because health care costs have dropped to pennies it’s not going to happen.
The only echo I hear is coming from your talking points and your inability to read the linked article.