CBO scored the Senate Manager's Amendment. It decreased its estimate for employer sponsored health insurance in 2019 by 4 million people. The absolute numbers of people covered by the workplace are:
1998 168.5 million (Source: Census)
2008 176.3 million (Census)
2010 150 million (CBO projections for Manager's Amendment)
2019 164 million (CBO)
From 2008 to 2019 CBO predicts 43.3 million Americans will lose employer coverage, while 8 million will gain it. That's a net 35.3 million decline in workplace coverage.
The percent of Americans with employer coverage will undergo a seismic shift over the same period:
1998 62.8%
2008 58.3%
2010 48.4%
2019 48.5%
A curve is bending and it clearly favors employers wishing to compete in a global economy. With employers doing less, government or the individual has to do more. A beleaguered Uncle Sam, combined with tapped out state/local governments, points to the individual carrying the load.
An era of personal responsibility for health care and retirement looms. Congress is rewriting the contract and it's not to the average citizen's favor.
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