By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Dozens of unions are now on a growing list of more than 222 businesses that have been granted waivers by the Obama Administration from a provision in the new healthcare reform plan that would phase out existing coverage limits on their medical plans.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC) is reporting that the list of companies obtaining vouchers has doubled in just the last three weeks, with more than 50 unions now permitted to keep their coverage limits in place.
The waivers deal with limited health benefit plans, called “mini-med” policies, which large companies such as McDonald’s offer to some of their employees. These plans have limits on how much can be paid out in coverage. ObamaCare calls for the phasing out of these limits, which would make the policies too expensive. Rather than seeing the companies drop the plans entirely, the government decided to hand out waivers exempting them from the provision for one year, after which time the waivers can be considered for renewal.
Dozens of unions have been given waivers, such as Bricklayers Local 1 of MD, VA and DC, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, the Indiana Teamsters Health Benefits Fund, and the Service Employees International (SEIU) Union Local 1 Cleveland Welfare Fund.
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Ogdensburg also received a waiver, as did a host of businesses from corporate giants such as Aetna and the American Heritage Life Insurance Company to smaller organizations like the Waffle House and the Pearson Candy Company.
The granting of these waivers is drawing criticism from many who say the American people were promised that the new law would not cause people who have insurance to lose it. If that was truly the case, why do so many companies need waivers to prevent them from dropping their employee’s insurance policies?
“This is ridiculous,” says anti-euthanasia activist and attorney Wesley J. Smith. ” A law is passed, it is barely in effect–with most provisions still years off, and the government has to issue hundreds of waiver–including to about 50 unions–to prevent people from losing their insurance. If it is this bad this early, what will happen when the buzz saw really hits? People will be forced into the individual policy marketplace, and employers will pay small fines–just like the critics said. What a debacle.”
As a blogger wrote on the popular RedState.com: “If ObamaCare keeps going at the rate it’s going (and it hasn’t even gone into effect yet), perhaps the GOP won’t need to repeal it–We can all just get waivers instead.”
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