Report Says Health Care Will Cover More, Cost More
The story misses the point and the headline and some of the text get it wrong. The headline item many people are focusing on is that this projection says the healthcare reform act will cost about 1% more than previous projections (while they accept/ignore the confirmation that 34 million more people will be covered!).
The 1% difference is essentially meaningless since the 1% difference is far less than the % uncertainty in the 10-year projections themselves! I mean, tell me who can tell, within 1%, what their salary will be in 10 years? Or what the GDP will be in 10 years? Anyone that good would become a gazillionaire.In fact, given the slightly different assumptions and models, to be off by only 1%, is actually a confirmation that the estimates are all very, very close.
Whereas adding 34 million (plus or minus even 1% or 0.34 million) is a huge improvement in health coverage in the US. Adding healthcare for around 75% of those who don't have it today.
The story line should be: Report confirms: 34 million more people will be covered for the expected cost.
Economic experts at the Health and Human Services Department concluded in a report issued Thursday that the health care remake will achieve Obama's aim of expanding health insurance -- adding 34 million to the coverage rolls.
via www.nytimes.com