CEO of Tenet Healthcare Trevor Fetter told CNBC's Squawk Box Obamacare has not reduced emergency room visits Tuesday morning.
Panelist Steve Liesman asked Fetter about the controversial claim that Obamacare would reduce emergency room visits and if he as CEO as seen any effect from the law.
Fetter said emergency room visits are up, following the pre-Obamacare trend. The CEO also acknowledged the ER visit growth rate has failed to slow. Fetter attributed the trend to advances in ER efficiency and technology.
A Journal of Science study last January found the expansion of Medicaid actually increased the use of the emergency room among low income households by 40 percent. According to the New York Times, the study's pattern held true across demographics and types of ER visits, including those that could be treated by a primary care physician.
President Obama repeatedly insisted his healthcare law would lessen the burden on emergency rooms across the country, both prior and since its passage.