The health care overhaul will cost U.S. companies billions and make them more likely to drop prescription drug coverage for retirees. . . .
Generally, retirees would prefer to stay with prescription drug coverage provided by their companies as opposed to enrolling in a Medicare Part D plan, said Marilyn Moon, a health care economist with the nonpartisan American Institutes for Research.
She said most of the company-sponsored plans are more generous and almost none have the coverage gap that comes with Part D plans.
Those "billions" that will now go to the government is money that otherwise might have been put into research & development -- or hiring more workers. Extra costs? They'll be passed on to consumers (at least if the companies want to stay in business.)
But not to worry -- the retirees can enroll in Medicare for their prescription drug coverage. Yes, the same Medicare that's scheduled to include a half-trillion in cuts.
Feel healthier yet?