Former CVS Caremark CEO Mac Crawford On Uncertainty In Health Care Reform

Mac Crawford, Crawford Ross partner and former CVS Caremark CVS CEO, went over the postponement of the health care reform mandate for employers and how the decision will play out for everyone effected by the decision on CNBC's Squawk Box Wednesday morning. Crawford believes that the delay adds another piece of confusion to health care reform, suggesting that hardship is place on the individual, who will still be required to get insurance as scheduled in 2014, while employers have another year before their mandate takes effect. "It does just throw one more piece of uncertainty into it and as someone looking at it, ah, from an investor standpoint, um, you know we look for clarity and we look for certainty," said Crawford. Related: Key Health Care Provision Delayed Until 2015 He noted that the employer mandate delay is somewhat of a surprise. According to Crawford, the individual side is very difficult to underwrite and deal with, and now it's harder for individuals with one less marketplace available to them for health care. Crawford isn't sure whether or not stalling on the individual mandate will follow the employer delay, and he cited the difficulty of implementing it for individuals while companies aren't required to offer mandated plans. "If it's going to be there, you would rather have it and go ahead and get it done," said Crawford in regards to a business vantage point. He said that the massive size, multiple pieces, and many questions about health care reform make knowing what to do murky for employers. Crawford believes, however, that large companies already know how to deal with healthcare, and that it's smaller employers who have something to figure out, making reform necessary on their end.