Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act, said on Tuesday that the healthcare law, set to go into full effect in less than eight months, is “probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress” and “is just beyond comprehension.”
Rockefeller said he is concerned that early missteps with implementing the healthcare overhaul may cascade into confusion and chaos. The law, said Rockefeller, is “so complicated and if it isn’t done right the first time, it will just simply get worse.”
Rockefeller’s consternation echoes comments made earlier this week by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who groused that “no one fully anticipated” all the complexities of the federal government’s deep penetration into an industry that represents one-fifth of the U.S. economy.
HHS also acknowledged that the Obamacare government healthcare exchanges will cost $4.4 billion to implement, a figure more than double the Obama Administration’s original $2 billion estimate.
Even if the grand opening of Obamacare goes smoothly, experts say insurance claims are set to skyrocket. A recently released report by the nonpartisan Society of Actuaries found that once Obamacare is fully implemented, medical claims costs will increase an average of 32%.
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