White House Pledges Flexibility on McDonald's Health Plan

WSJ ^ | SEPTEMBER 30, 2010, 9:47 P.M. ET | JANET ADAMY

[STONEWALLS]

The Obama administration said Thursday that its top health official will "exercise her discretion" in enforcing a new health-law requirement, a move that could help McDonald's Corp. and other employers from disrupting their health-care policies for hourly workers.

The announcement Thursday followed a report in The Wall Street Journal that McDonald's warned federal regulators it could drop its health-insurance plan for nearly 30,000 restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the health overhaul. The requirement, known as the minimum medical loss ratio, concerns the percentage of revenue received from premiums that must be spent on benefits.

McDonald's is among the retailers and restaurant chains that offer a "mini-med" limited benefit. Most of these plans don't meet a 2011 requirement that they spend 80% to 85% of premiums on medical benefits instead of overhead expenses.

McDonald's last week sent a top official at the Department of Health and Human Services a memo saying "it would be economically prohibitive for our carrier to continue offering" its "mini-med" limited benefit plan unless it got an exemption from the requirement.

[UCANSEE2]

So obama is now running a mob-like protection racket?

I had to fix it.

[ecomcon]

Apple, Google or Microsoft Liberal, Liberal, Liberal

Exactly what I was thinking. These are our corporate titans now, pathetic emocrat social engineers. Ruling class pukes.

"Manufacturing" their products in China, or where-eva. Citizens of the World, like Obama.

[Patriotic1]

I get more shocked every day with this Administration....

[Real Cynic No More]

So obama is now running a mob-like protection racket?

I had to fix it.

ROTFLMFAO!

[kittycatonline.com]

its top health official will "exercise her discretion" in enforcing a new health-law requirement

This is the socialist dream: Every business in violation, every individual a paper criminal; at the mercy of the whims of the State which may, at it's discretion, drop the hammer at the moment of it's choosing.