Admin issues new rules to stop employers using HCR as an excuse to stick it to their employees

[quiet.american]

(At least, that's my take on it!)

NYT: New Rules on Changes to Benefits

WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday will issue new rules that strongly discourage employers from cutting health insurance benefits or increasing the costs of coverage to employees, administration officials say.

The rules limit the changes that employers can make if they want to be exempt from certain provisions of the health care law passed by Congress in March. Many employers want the exemption because it allows them to keep their existing health plans intact with a minimum of changes. More than 170 million Americans have employer-sponsored insurance.

.... a health plan loses its exemption if an employer reduces its contribution so that its share of the total cost of coverage declines by more than 5 percentage points. If, for example, an employer is paying 60 percent of the cost of family coverage, it would run afoul of the rules if it cut its share to 50 percent.

An employer would also lose its exempt status if it increased co-payments for doctor’s visits to $45, from $30 — a 50 percent increase — while medical inflation was 8 percent.

More at link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/health/policy/14health.html?ref=barack_obama

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The article also states early on that these new rules "appear to fall short of the sweeping commitments President Obama made while trying to reassure the public in the fight over health legislation," but it doesn't actually offer any "such as" examples to back it up. Overall, these rules look like a very good thing to me -- no doubt they'll make teabaggers' "gub'mint-hating" heads explode.

[Cha]

1. Wow! Consumer Protection~

".... a health plan loses its exemption if an employer reduces its contribution so that its share of the total cost of coverage declines by more than 5 percentage points. If, for example, an employer is paying 60 percent of the cost of family coverage, it would run afoul of the rules if it cut its share to 50 percent."

[quiet.american]

4. Hello, Cha -- you got it! nt

[NYC_SKP]

2. Wow, thanks for posting this, quiet.american!

:toast:

[quiet.american]

3. Literally, cheers, NYC_SKP. :)

:toast:

[HughMoran]

5. That's good news

Though the exchanges can't get here quick enough. The rates we're paying (as a small business of 10 who's salaries put us over the rebate level) are insane. $35,000+ family plan insane!

[Cha]

6. That is insane!

Geeze.