Fox Revives Debunked Myth That Affordable Care Act Will Destroy 2 Million Jobs

Fox Correspondent Richard Edson Falsely Claims CBO Report Says ACA Will Hurt Economy

Written by Media Matters Staff

Published

A segment on Fox News' Special Report with Bret Baier attacked the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by falsely claiming that a study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that the healthcare law hurt the economy by reducing jobs. Fox correspondent Rich Edson argued that a working paper from the CBO buttressed GOP claims that the ACA would cost American jobs. The CBO study was referring to provisions of the ACA meant to end the issue of “job lock.” MSNBC's Steve Benen explained that job lock “describes a dynamic in which many Americans would like to leave their current jobs - to retire, to start a new business...but can't because they and their families need the health benefits tied to their current job. ” As Media Matters reported in 2014, the “projected change is in the supply of labor, not the demand for labor."  Thus, the “job lock” provision actually gives Americans more choices, they can chose to work less or even retire earlier than expected and still be covered.  From the December 8 edition of Special Report with Bret Baier:

SHANNON BREAM (HOST): Critics of the president's healthcare law now have a new set of numbers to back up their claims that Obamacare is hurting the economy. It comes as the fight intensifies over the money spent on the bureaucracies that sell the insurance to the public. Correspondent Rich Edson looks at the statistics and what both sides are saying about them.

RICHARD EDSON (SPECIAL REPORT CORRESPONDENT): The Obama administration contends the Affordable Care Act is working, improving and serving millions. Republicans claim the administration has wasted billions on a flawed system and this morning, questioned federal spending on state-based insurance exchanges, online marketplaces where Americans shop for subsidized health insurance. The Administration granted states about $5.5 billion to establish these insurance exchanges.

[...]

EDSON: After their state spent hundreds of millions of federal dollars, administrators in Oregon, Hawaii and Nevada, have scrapped their state exchanges and instead, joined 34 states already using the federal government's site - healthcare.gov. Officials say they cannot predict if more state exchanges will close. Also this week a working paper from the Congressional Budget Office claims the Affordable Care Act will reduce the labor force by about two million full-time workers over the next decade.

[...]

EDSON: Of a similar analysis, the White House wrote last year that the ACA will make it easier for people to take a risk and start a business. Take time out of the labor force to raise a family, or retire when they are ready. Republican committee aides say their investigation into Obamacare continues, they're investigating the non-profit government-funded health care cooperatives, more than half have failed. Democrats say these investigations and committee hearings are simply hampering Obamacare's implementation, Shannon?

Previously:

Another Study Debunks Myth That Obamacare Stymies Job Market

Conservative Media Misreads New Report In Rush To Attack Obamacare

Right-Wing Media Hate That Obamacare Reduces Economic Insecurity

Right-Wing Media's Catastrophic ACA Predictions Still Haven't Materialized