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Goodbye, Employer-Sponsored Insurance
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 05-21-10 | JOHN C. GOODMAN

Posted on 05/20/2010 5:50:26 PM PDT by GOP_Lady

Companies are discovering that it's cheaper to pay fines to the government than to cover workers.

Millions of American workers could discover that they no longer have employer-provided health insurance as ObamaCare is phased in. That's because employers are quickly discovering that it may be cheaper to pay fines to the government than to insure workers.

AT&T, Caterpillar, John Deere and Verizon have all made internal calculations, according the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to determine how much could be saved by a) dropping their employer-provided insurance, b) paying a fine of $2,000 per employee, and c) leaving their employees with the option of buying highly-subsidized insurance in the newly created health-insurance exchange.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: benefits; bhohealthcare; fubo; health; healthcare; obamacare; socialism; socialisthealthcare; workplace; wsj
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To: BobL

Ok so here is a question. Is the cost this gubmint insurance going to be indexed to what one can afford based on income? Are the plans going to be the same and based on what one can pay, punish the higher earners with higher costs for the same plan?


21 posted on 05/20/2010 6:35:37 PM PDT by Bruinator (God is Great.... Beer is good.... Muzzies are.........?)
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To: american_ranger

I’ve suggested that before. I’m sure there are various federal schemes to try to prevent it, but I don’t they’d hold up if the Indians made a stink about it. Seems to me they could make oodles of money doing something a heck of lot more socially responsible than peddling gambling and tobacco. Opt themselves totally out of all malpractice law and set up a tribal council to handle complaints. Good business practice would motivate them to dump any doctors who really screwed up, but they wouldn’t have to pass on to patients the zillions of dollars in extra costs from idiots like John Edwards trumping up phony malpractice cases against obstetricians.


22 posted on 05/20/2010 6:40:52 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: BobL
Kinda sucks when many of us Republicans want to “send a message” and vote Third Party...thereby allowing the Democrat to win

It sucks even more that the Republicans are as liberal as the Democrats....for decades unWILLING to change anything and just as big spend-thrifts when they had the power.

23 posted on 05/20/2010 6:42:55 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain and proud of it. Those who truly support our troops pray for their victory!)
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To: BobL
Kinda sucks when many of us Republicans want to “send a message” and vote Third Party...thereby allowing the Democrat to win. Oh well, there’s always the clinics.

Kinda sucks when the Republican party wants to see run nothing more the a pack of socialists... and then cries when nobody wants 'em. (Heck, JFK was more conservative than many Republicans nowadays.)

24 posted on 05/20/2010 6:45:31 PM PDT by gogogodzilla (Live free or die!)
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To: GOP_Lady

“That’s because employers are quickly discovering that it may be cheaper to pay fines to the government than to insure workers. “

Gee. I wonder if that was unintended? NOT!

We are SO screwed. Just SO screwed.


25 posted on 05/20/2010 6:52:29 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save the Earth. It's the only planet with Chocolate.)
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To: GovernmentShrinker
set up a tribal council to handle complaints

Deal killer right there. You can get murdered, mugged and raped - and have your car stolen - at any of our many local Injun casinos, and you're shit outta luck; word flies quickly.

The tribes don't even bother responding to complaints. You're on your own when you enter their little world.

26 posted on 05/20/2010 6:55:27 PM PDT by ErnBatavia (It's not the Obama Administration....it's the "Obama Regime".)
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To: IllumiNaughtyByNature

In tough economic times, who says that large employers have to pay anyone higher wages when there are millions of unemployed and underemployed people out there who would love to have a job?


27 posted on 05/20/2010 6:59:09 PM PDT by yawningotter
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To: ErnBatavia

If they don’t respond to complaints about medical care, they won’t get many customers. People are pretty rational about health care shopping — going to a casino is irrational in the first place, and the Indians know full well people who want to throw their money away will just keep coming.


28 posted on 05/20/2010 7:01:01 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: american_ranger
Californians will like it ...
29 posted on 05/20/2010 7:07:49 PM PDT by Waverunner ( "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too." Voltaire)
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To: BobL
Kinda sucks when many of us Republicans want to “send a message” and vote Third Party...thereby allowing the Democrat to win. Oh well, there’s always the clinics.

I hope that you're not seriously suggesting that Obama and the rats are in office because a few hard-core freepers voted third party. All of them could have voted for McCain and he still would have lost. He was a pathetic choice as a candidate.
30 posted on 05/20/2010 7:32:26 PM PDT by newguy357
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To: newguy357

“I hope that you’re not seriously suggesting that Obama and the rats are in office because a few hard-core freepers voted third party. All of them could have voted for McCain and he still would have lost. He was a pathetic choice as a candidate.”

No, not at all. It was a handful of Senate races, like MN...that got the Dems up to what they needed to finally implement their dreams.


31 posted on 05/20/2010 7:44:37 PM PDT by BobL
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To: GOP_Lady

STUPIDITY has consequences....


32 posted on 05/20/2010 7:45:29 PM PDT by traumer
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To: american_ranger

oooooooooo....interesting idea!


33 posted on 05/20/2010 8:37:15 PM PDT by annelizly
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To: Navy Patriot

The only problem is the government will try and find a way to squash the idea.

example. The indian reservations use their sovereignty to sell cheap cigarettes...but the government makes laws that forbids the post office and the UPS from delivering them and stop the Credit card companies from paying for them.


34 posted on 05/20/2010 8:40:40 PM PDT by annelizly
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To: GOP_Lady

Bump


35 posted on 05/20/2010 8:41:16 PM PDT by BunnySlippers (I LOVE BULL MARKETS . . .)
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To: GOP_Lady; All

My whole argument against Obama’s healthcare bill is that it’s unconstitutional to force Americans to purchase anything, much less health care. A liberal shot my argument down with the claim that the Republicans thought of it or presented it first. Suspecting the usual lie, I did a search and found this site. It seems the Dems are saying that they only took the idea of government mandated insurance from the Republicans.

http://www.ksdp.org/blog/kansas-republicans-insurance-mandate-they-were-against-it

Can anyone refute this? It’s definitely news to me.


36 posted on 05/20/2010 8:46:51 PM PDT by XenaLee (The only good commie is a dead commie.)
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To: american_ranger
What if the Indian reservations were to start independent health care facilities?

One ot the functions of the BIA is overseeing Indian Health programs. Obamacare has been on the res for a long time. In fact, though there may be some good programs out there, many would say it was the prime example of why to keep the government out of health care.

37 posted on 05/20/2010 8:52:05 PM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: annelizly
The government tactic to discourage Indian Nation commerce is to maneuver to require the patron to travel to the Indian Nation in order to do business.

This is the one thing that would be very necessary for almost all health care services, Viagra excepted.

So what the government's got now, won't cut it, to squash healthcare.

38 posted on 05/20/2010 8:52:37 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (Sarah and the Conservatives will rock your world.)
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To: GOP_Lady
[Art.] ....cheaper to pay fines to the government than to insure workers. Plan "A" all along. Get employers to drop the little people in the Dems' laps.
39 posted on 05/20/2010 8:52:56 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
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To: BobL
Kinda sucks when many of us Republicans want to “send a message” and vote Third Party...thereby allowing the Democrat to win.

Kinda sucks when arrogant Yacht Club ****'s want conservatives to "service" them and shut the hell up.

Bite me. And tell your bud Poppy Bush I said for him to bite me, too.

40 posted on 05/20/2010 8:55:20 PM PDT by lentulusgracchus
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