Roofer Union Calls for Repeal of Obama Health Law

[JBS...]

"A labor union representing roofers is reversing course and calling for repeal of the federal health law, citing concerns the law will raise its cost for insuring members."

Ahh ain't that a bitch.

LMAO !

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/0...ma-health-law/

[MikeG22]

Our union rep told us that next year as we negotiate the increased cost of health insurance will be our greatest obstacle by far. Apparent family plans have gone up almost 3k due to Obamacare. Personally I think it is just the greedy insurance companies laughing in Obama's face.

If your paying a percentage towards your benefits you might as well not count on a raise for the rest of your career with the increases in insurance costs.

[JBS...]

Complete quote...

United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers International President Kinsey M. Robinson

“Our Union and its members have supported President Obama and his Administration for both of his terms in office.

But regrettably, our concerns over certain provisions in the ACA have not been addressed, or in some instances, totally ignored. In the rush to achieve its passage, many of the Act’s provisions were not fully conceived, resulting in unintended consequences that are inconsistent with the promise that those who were satisfied with their employer sponsored coverage could keep it.

These provisions jeopardize our multi-employer health plans, have the potential to cause a loss of work for our members, create an unfair bidding advantage for those contractors who do not provide health coverage to their workers, and in the worst case, may cause our members and their families to lose the benefits they currently enjoy as participants in multi-employer health plans.

For decades, our multi-employer health and welfare plans have provided the necessary medical coverage for our members and their families to protect them in times of illness and medical needs. This collaboration between labor and management has been a model of success that should be emulated rather than ignored. I refuse to remain silent, or idly watch as the ACA destroys those protections.

I am therefore calling for repeal or complete reform of the Affordable Care Act to protect our employers, our industry, and our most important asset: our members and their families.”

[CarlV]

Them dudes need to put down their crack pipes. Seriously.


Carl

[CarlV]

Good article:

Unexpected Health Insurance Rate Shock-California Obamacare Insurance Exchange Announces Premium Rates

Every now and again, a political pundit is required to stand up and admit to the world that he or she got it wrong.

For me, this would be one of those moments.

For quite some time, I have been predicting that Obamacare would likely mean higher insurance rates in the individual market for the “young immortals” and others under the age of 40. At the same time, my expectation was that those who fall into the older age ranges would benefit greatly as their premium charges would be lowered thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

It is increasingly clear that I had it wrong.

Yesterday, Covered California—the name given to the healthcare exchange created pursuant to the Affordable Care Act that will serve the largest population of insured citizens in the nation—released the premium rates submitted by participating health insurance companies for the three health insurance program categories (bronze, silver and gold) established by the Affordable Care Act, along with the catastrophic policy created for and available to those under the age of 30.

Upon reviewing the data, I was indeed shocked by the proposed premium rates—but not in the way you might expect. The jolt that I was experiencing was not the result of the predicted out-of-control premium costs but the shock of rates far lower than what I expected—even at the lowest end of the age scale.

So, why the all too popular narrative that Obamacare would mean unaffordable healthcare premium costs for so many Americans?

Setting aside the never-ending nonsense peddled by the opponents of healthcare reform, everyone from the Congressional Budget Office to numerous private actuaries have warned that premium shock could be expected to set in once the public began to see the reality of what Obamacare would mean to their pocketbooks. And yet, the only real jolt to the system being felt by these public and private prognosticators today is utter amazement over just how reasonable the California prices have turned out to be.

How did the CBO and the actuaries get it so wrong?

As Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic correctly points out—

“One reason for the misplaced expectations may be that actuaries have been making worst-case assumptions, even as insurers—eyeing the prospects of so many new customers—have been calculating that it’s worth bidding low in order to gobble up market share. This would help explain why premium bids in several other states have proven similarly reasonable. “The premiums and participation in California, Oregon, Washington and other states show that insurers want to compete for the new enrollees in this market,” Gary Claxton, a vice president at the Kaiser Family Foundation, said via e-mail. “The premiums have not skyrocketed and the insurers that serve this market now are continuing. The rates look like what we would expect for decent coverage offered to a standard population.”

Cohn is saying that, despite the political naysayers, the healthcare exchange concept appears to be working very well indeed in states like California, Oregon and Washington—the first states to publish the expected health exchange prices for purchasing coverage. These are also states that are actually committed to seeing the program work as opposed to those states whose leaders have a vested political interest in seeing the Affordable Care Act fail.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/rickunga...premium-rates/

Carl

[CarlV]

Nice Wapo calculator. Check it out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...means-for-you/


Carl

[CarlV]

What are Small Businesses Required to Do?

Starting in 2014, small businesses with at least 50 full-time employees must provide them with health insurance or pay a penalty (that number rises to 100 full-time employees in 2017). One concern many small businesses have is that they will be required to use the exchanges. They are not; the exchanges will simply provide another option for employers to find a health insurance plan that works best for them. Also, small businesses may be eligible for tax credits to help them pay for their employees’ health insurance through the exchange.

Starting in late summer or fall of this year, employers will be required to provide a written notice to each employee and new hire outlining the existence of these exchanges, the services provided through them, and contact information for the exchange. The notice must also include information about possible tax credits and loss of employer contributions (if any) for employees purchasing a qualified plan through the exchange. This notice was originally due to be provided to employees by March 1, but has been pushed back to coincide with the first open enrollment period for the insurance exchanges.

Now is the time for small businesses to be looking into insurance exchanges and learning about the options available to them, as well as the requirements they will be expected to meet. As more states establish their exchanges, small businesses will need to ensure they are keeping up with any mandates that may apply.
http://mybackoffice.biz/small-busine...nce-exchanges/

The sky is falling, the sky is falling.


Carl

[bobabode]

Methinks someone has been out in the sun for too long or fell off a roof and landed on their head.

[Zeke]

Sum?

Winning.

[whell]

There is absolutely no question that many individual and small group health insurance plans will see large rate increases after January 1, 2014. The two drivers for these increases - modified community rating and rate compression - are facts of insurance premium pricing that health insurance carriers are already starting to warn health insurance brokers about.