The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee’s “Affordable Health Choices Act” contains an “employer mandate,” or a legal requirement that all American businesses with 25 or more employees offer health insurance to their workers.
The penalty for failing to comply with this mandate to offer employees health insurance is a $750 fine per full time worker per year.
In 2008, employer-provided insurance policies averaged $4,704 a year for individuals and $12,680 for families, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation (p. 2 here). This means employers would be able to save $4,000 per worker (or $12,000 per family) by ending their employee health benefit programs and simply paying the federal government the fine.
Source: Senate HELP Committee bill fact sheet, pp. 7-8.
Neil Stevens
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Daniel Horowitz
Jake Walker
But He told us ...
get2djnow (Diary) Tuesday, August 11th at 11:17AM EST (link)that the public option would never cause people to lose their insurance, if they like what they have now. /sarc
An employer would have to be nuts to throw money into an insurance policy for his employees when the gov’t is willing to do all the work of covering employees’ medical needs for a measly $750. Not only that but no more open enrollment hassles and no more annual increases in employee copays. For the employers it’s all upside.
A1C Elizabeth N. Jacobson (26 Mar 1984 – 28 Sep 2005) Killed by an IED during OEF, probably of Iranian origin, but aided by having predictably scheduled logistics convoys.
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7)
“Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever.” (Genesis 13:14)
“For those who are with us here today before Hashem our God and (also) those who are not here with us today.” (Deuteronomy 29:14)
Unions Windfall
Greg (Diary) Tuesday, August 11th at 11:23AM EST (link)Unions will use this savings to boast wages by 6G per worker…
Windfall to the unions.
get2djnow (Diary) Wednesday, August 12th at 9:57AM EST (link)The union bosses will increase union dues by 5k. Then the unions will use the money to prop up their corrupt athletic supporters in local, state and federal government. Still, they will be able to tell their mouth-breathers that brought home the bacon.
Oh, the bosses will also be able to afford new union jets.
A1C Elizabeth N. Jacobson (26 Mar 1984 – 28 Sep 2005) Killed by an IED during OEF, probably of Iranian origin, but aided by having predictably scheduled logistics convoys.
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.” (Genesis 17:7)
“Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever.” (Genesis 13:14)
“For those who are with us here today before Hashem our God and (also) those who are not here with us today.” (Deuteronomy 29:14)
It is about a permanent funding mechanism for the Democrat party.
izoneguy (Diary) Tuesday, August 11th at 11:30AM EST (link)Obamacare would create a huge bureaucracy that would be staffed with SEIU members (most government workers are SEIU members). SEIU would collect a windfall in new union dues which would be fed back into Democrat politician’s campaign coffers.
It is about a permanent funding mechanism for the Democrat party.
Look at this info from Open Secrets….
These dems have raked in the most cash from union contributions.
Hoyer tops the list with $3,596,358
Edward Kennedy is 2nd with $2,741,591
Pelosi is 3rd with $2,737,550
Unions Lobby to Thwart Health Care Deal Breaker
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/07/unions-lobby-to-thwart-health.html
Download a list of contributions from labor PACs to all current members of Congress (including to their candidate committees and leadership PACs) since 1989 here:
http://www.opensecrets.org/news/LaborPAC_Contribs.xls
If you use this info give credit:
http://www.opensecrets.org/MyOS/credit.php
Just counter Pelosi and Hoyer un-American accusations with these facts. National Health Care is a Union Trojan Horse…..
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
I support ending employer based
DerKrieger (Diary) Tuesday, August 11th at 12:46PM EST (link)…health care.
But only if it means my employer pays me the cash value of my insurance coverage as additional salary and then asks me to go buy my own insurance.
I wish businesses would fight back on this even a little instead of looking at this as an easy way to offload their health care expenses.
They can offload them and still nurture free market solutions like high deductible, low premium plans with HSAs. I have one and I love it.
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” — John Locke, 1690
Exactly
Jeff Emanuel (Diary) Tuesday, August 11th at 2:00PM EST (link)Few understand that benefits like health care aren’t paid for by the employer, but come out of overall compensation in lieu of wages. The fact that few workers know this means employers who cut off health care can keep that savings, because workers don’t know enough to demand that cash be added to their paychecks.
Education is needed in this area.
JE
I can't fault your logic.
whoframedrudy (Diary) Wednesday, August 26th at 2:03AM EST (link)Currently, an employer that does not provide health benefits is at a competitive disadvantage in the labor market. Not so under Obamacare. So yes, with a public option and this negligible fine, the ‘private option’ will wither on the vine of profit maximization. In the private sector, this would be called ‘predatory pricing.’
It’s perverse: using capitalism to transition into socialism.
You’re gonna need more than one lesson. And you’re gonna get more than one lesson.