HEADLINES

Sunday, October 10, 2010

ObamaCare Waivers

By Adam Bitely

Want out of the new ObamaCare regulations? All you have to do is be a big business that offers mini med-plans and apply for a waiver from the Health and Human Services Department. Just simply indicate that it costs your business too much money and they will grant you an exemption. Click here for the rules.

Wouldn't it be nice if all Americans could back out of ObamaCare so easily?

Over the past few weeks, headlines have been made nationwide regarding large companies amending their health care plans or announcing plans to discontinue their plans altogether in light of new ObamaCare regulations. These companies range from McDonald's to 3M.

3M is dropping coverage for its retirees, achieving exactly what the Obama administration intended when they designed the Health Care bill. The government has created an incentive for companies to save money by dumping their Health Care coverage for their employees and retirees, which in turn dumps them into the government system.

McDonald's is currently providing mini-med plans for nearly 30,000 employees. With increases mandated by ObamaCare on the annual limits of such plans, McDonald's indicated that it was too expensive to offer the plans with the increases. That's why McDonald's applied for a waiver to be exempt from the annual limits increase on the mini-med health care plans. So in 2014, when the exemptions are no longer granted, McDonald's will most likely cancel the plans altogether dumping more people into the government system.

Just look at how the annual limits increase over the course of the next two years, according to HHS:

• For plan or policy years beginning on or after September 23, 2010 but before September 23, 2011, $750,000;

• For plan or policy years beginning on or after September 23, 2011 but before September 23, 2012, $1.25 million; and

• For plan or policy years beginning on or after September 23, 2012 but before January 1, 2014, $2 million.

The effect ObamaCare is having on individual Americans becomes clearer with each passing day. As the government hands down more regulations to put ObamaCare into effect, we will see a continued reduction in the number of people on employer health care plans. And this is all further evidence that the current health care plans Americans enjoy will continue to decrease as ObamaCare takes effect, standing in direct contrast to Obama's promise that most people would be able to keep their current Health Care plan.

In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor admitted as much in a recent regulation where they estimated that up to 69 percent of private health plans will lose their grandfathered status by the end of 2013 — forcing their customers to change providers whether they want to or not.

While government bureaucrats sift through 1,500 requests from businesses to receive waivers on annual limits increases, many Americans are in fear that they will soon be without the health care coverage they currently have. One thing is for sure though, it sure would be nice if all of America could apply for a waiver to escape the impending doom of ObamaCare.

Adam Bitely is the Editor-in-Chief of NetRightDaily.com.









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