Despite repeated promises by the President that the Democrats’ health care law would ease what is frequently referred to as one of the top challenges plaguing employers – affordability – a new employer survey released today confirms again that the law is increasing, not decreasing health care costs. The “Health Care Organizations Health Care Reform Readiness Survey,” conducted by Buck Consultants finds that employers believe the Democrats’ health care law will not only increase costs, but that few will be able to keep the plan they currently have – another promise made, and broken.

Buck Consultants surveyed over 200 employers and health care organizations and concludes:

• “The majority of respondents believe health care reform will have the opposite effect of its intended purpose. Three-quarters (75 percent) of respondents think it will increase health care costs somewhat or significantly; with 43 percent indicating that costs will increase significantly.
• “Over 90 percent of the survey respondents anticipate passing on some or all of these additional costs to employees through higher employee contributions or reduced coverage.
• “Most respondents (72 percent) think health care reform will adversely affect employer health plan.
• “34 percent believe the Country will be better off, while 60 percent think it will not.
• “One of the commitments made during the debate on health care reform was that employers could keep plans that were in place prior to the law’s enactment on March 23, 2010, and these plans would be “grandfathered” and not required to comply with some health care reform mandates.  … Over half (57 percent) of the respondents lost grandfathering for some or all plans in 2011 … and we anticipate that nearly all employer plans will lose grandfathering by 2014.”
  

Higher health care costs.  Losing the coverage you have and like.  America worse off, not better off.  More proof that the Democrats’ health care law is the wrong prescription for America’s health.