Obamacare Architect on Possible Repeal: ‘Doctors Love it’
The Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo had a fiery interview Friday with Obamacare architect Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel as the two disagreed over the Obama-era healthcare law’s impact on the economy.
Emanuel went on the defense after Bartiromo said, according to some CEOs and business owners, Obamacare hurt economic growth.
“[Obama] pushed forward this gigantic healthcare legislation that took the oxygen out of the room on helping the economy, and in fact it hurt economic growth,” said Bartiromo.
“Maria you can have your opinions but you cannot have your facts,” Emanuel said. “The facts are there is no evidence that the Affordable Care Act limited economic growth as a matter of fact… after passage of the Affordable Care Act, the economy came back.”
“100% wrong,” Bartiromo replied. “I speak to CEOs and managers of businesses every single day on this program, Dr. Emanuel, and the one thing that they tell me is the reason that they have not hired more people, invested more in their business is because of the cost of healthcare.”
She added, “When you have [legislation] that is 18 percent of the economic growth story, you can be sure that healthcare is going to have an impact on economic growth. That’s a fact.”
Emanuel agreed that healthcare costs needed to be made more affordable, but said the situation was worse under President Bush.
“Under President Bush healthcare premiums for a family went up 80% in eight years. Under President Obama they went up 35%, that’s substantially lower,” he said.
“You can’t blame President Bush still for all the problems under Obama, we can’t do it today because it doesn’t make sense,” replied Bartiromo. “This year, premiums in Arizona will be up 116%, premiums across the country will be up in the double digits -- that’s a fact Dr. Emanuel.”
Emanuel also disagreed with Bartiromo that doctors won’t participate in Obamacare.
“Doctors love it… OrthoCarolina down in North Carolina, Hogue Orthopedic Institute in California—they love these bundle payments because it allows them to make more money by being efficient and reducing the cost of their care,” he said.