Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Economy
In reply to the discussion: Weekend Economists Trace the Long and Winding Road February 7-9, 2014 [View all]xchrom
(108,903 posts)19. AOL chairman slashes 401k benefits blames 2 women who gave birth to sick babies
http://www.nationofchange.org/aol-chairman-slashes-401k-benefits-blames-two-women-who-gave-birth-sick-babies-1391785331
AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong blamed the babies of two employees for increasing the companys benefit costs on Thursday, explaining in a conference call that AOL had to pay millions out in medical bills and alter its entire benefits package. The remarks came just hours after the company announced changes to its 401(k) plans and complained that Obamacare has increased costs by $7.1 million.
We had two AOL-ers that had distressed babies that were born that we paid a million dollars each to make sure those babies were OK in general, Armstrong said on a conference call first reported by Capital New York. And those are the things that add up into our benefits cost. So when we had the final decision about what benefits to cut because of the increased healthcare costs, we made the decision, and I made the decision, to basically change the 401(k) plan. Under the new program, AOL employees will not be able to collect any matching funds toward their retirement savings from the company for any given year if they leave before Dec. 31 of that year.
But health care experts ThinkProgress contacted questioned why a large self-insured company with more than 5,000 employees could not absorb the additional health care costs associated with the pregnancies. Large employers typically purchase reinsurance, which could cover a substantial share of big claims and ensure stability in cases of larger-than expected medical payouts.
AOL Chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong blamed the babies of two employees for increasing the companys benefit costs on Thursday, explaining in a conference call that AOL had to pay millions out in medical bills and alter its entire benefits package. The remarks came just hours after the company announced changes to its 401(k) plans and complained that Obamacare has increased costs by $7.1 million.
We had two AOL-ers that had distressed babies that were born that we paid a million dollars each to make sure those babies were OK in general, Armstrong said on a conference call first reported by Capital New York. And those are the things that add up into our benefits cost. So when we had the final decision about what benefits to cut because of the increased healthcare costs, we made the decision, and I made the decision, to basically change the 401(k) plan. Under the new program, AOL employees will not be able to collect any matching funds toward their retirement savings from the company for any given year if they leave before Dec. 31 of that year.
But health care experts ThinkProgress contacted questioned why a large self-insured company with more than 5,000 employees could not absorb the additional health care costs associated with the pregnancies. Large employers typically purchase reinsurance, which could cover a substantial share of big claims and ensure stability in cases of larger-than expected medical payouts.
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
56 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
Weekend Economists Trace the Long and Winding Road February 7-9, 2014 [View all]
Demeter
Feb 2014
OP
As U.S. hits debt limit, business group urges Congress to raise it HERE WE GO AGAIN...
Demeter
Feb 2014
#8
Robert Reich to Obama: Don't Play Semantics, Savage Inequality Is Our Most Urgent Problem
Demeter
Feb 2014
#15
Yadkin Valley Financial Corp. (NORTH CAROLINA) exits wholesale mortgage business
Demeter
Feb 2014
#50