AP Sources: (Health) Bill Likely to Cut Employer Mandate

[kpete]

Source: Associated Press

AP Sources: Bill Likely to Cut Employer Mandate
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 25, 2009

Filed at 5:47 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Businesses would not be required to provide health insurance under legislation being readied for Senate debate, but large firms would owe significant penalties if any worker needed government subsidies to buy coverage on their own, according to Democratic officials familiar with talks on the bill.

For firms with more than 50 employees, the fee could be as high as $750 multiplied by the total size of the work force if only a few workers needed federal aid, these officials said. That is a more stringent penalty than in a bill that recently cleared the Senate Finance Committee, which said companies should face penalties on a per-employee basis.

These officials also said individuals would generally be required to purchase affordable insurance if it were available, and face penalties if they defied the requirement.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss the private negotiations involving key Senate Democrats and the White House. They also stressed that no final decisions have been made on the details of the measure, expected to reach the Senate floor in about two weeks.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/25/us/politics/AP-US-Health-Care-Overhaul.html?_r=1

[saracat]

1. $750 doesn't seem like much of a "fine"to me! For businesses of 50 or more?

[clear eye]

4. $750/yr/uncovered employee who qualifies for a subsidy.

Not one fine. Doesn't seem to distinguish between employee who needs almost full subsidy and one who needs very small partial subsidy.

Why should we be loading more onto businesses in this rotten economy anyway? To make sure they move every last job overseas?

What happened to the idea of handling health care coverage like most of the Europeans do, by cutting out the costs of private insurers and restoring higher tax rates for the top bracket?

[Mithreal]

8. That wouldn't be "uniquely American". nt

[Mithreal]

7. Health care costs are expected to double in 9 years.

$750 sounds like a bargain compared to something like $5000 now or $10k in 9 years.

[naaman fletcher]

11. The problem is..

That our businesses arleady have a bad cost disadvantage.. this makes it even worse. That is why the solution is either universal care provided by gov't OR forget about health care reform

[DRoseDARs]

15. "$750 multiplied by the total size of the work force" $750 * 50-worker firm = $37,500 fine

Yeah, a $37,500 fine is a fair bit more painful than a $750 fine. Firms with 49 workers or less don't seem to be subject to the fine. If I'm reading the article correctly (and assuming the author read the information correctly), then the fine total starts at $37,500 and increases by $750 per worker over 50 workers. A 100-worker firm would face a $75,000 fine.

[Abq_Sarah]

21. It's cheaper

Than paying several thousand dollars per year per employee to provide insurance.

[clear eye]

2. I can't believe that in this economy, they're moving toward MORE costs on business.

This is the result of the combination of mandating coverage for all, while keeping the high cost of multiple private insurers, and not raising money by restoring higher taxes on the ultra-wealthy. Middleclass taxpayers can't afford the high cost of subsidizing and/or purchasing even the new type of private insurance plans, so the solution arrived at is to drag down our economy by making struggling businesses as small as 51 employees pay for it.

They won't be satisfied until only the owners of the multi-nationals have a job.

[RC]

3. Why is no one discussing Single Payer Universal Health Care?

We are discussing what color to paint the deck chairs on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg!

[clear eye]

5. Damn good question. n/t

[indimuse]

9. agreed! n/t

[saracat]

6. because"Yes we can" has become "the best we can do"

[RKP5637]

10. In the big picture I don't see why corps. should pay for health care because ...

Single Payer Universal Health Care is the way to go. Why don't we ask the corps. to pay for car insurance too? Somehow none of this makes sense to me... We should just have Single Payer Universal Health Care. The US has made such a complex mess of health care... it is absolutely ridiculous...

[Knight Hawk]

13. Smoke and Mirrors

It is all smoke and mirrors to hide the true costs.No one has the guts to tell the masses that covering everyone in this country with comprehensive health insurance from cradle to grave is very expensive and we will all pay for it.If you raise the costs on businesses they will simply raise their prices to their customers ,all of us.I know they have it in Europe but we are not Swedes.One thing to help lower the costs and cover everyone would require banging some heads together of some very powerful and rich institutions,associations etc.Not enough people in our government have the guts and/or strength to do that also.So we are left with three card monte.

[RKP5637]

16. Yep, so true/accurate. It is a charade. Increase cost to customers, as you say, and ...

I think also lower/stagnate wages. Sadly as one of my friends says, "Try to live long and healthy, and die quickly."

And keep the masses in the dark!

And none will ever "~bang some heads together of some very powerful and rich institutions, associations..." because of the revolving doors between congress, lobbyists, corporations and campaign contributions. They often merge with common interests and financial gain, power and greed.

[Knight Hawk]

18. Yes

Exactly!

[slipslidingaway]

22. There is still a business contribution under SP n/t

[Ironman3476]

12. It seems that they are slowly , painfully coming to the conclusion

through a process of elimination , by examining every other form of reform , the only logical solution is single payer - period .And the best way to transition into it is a strong non-profit option available to everyone.

[bikingaz]

14. PO for WH, Congr. & Fed employees on same Health care

If this health care bill that they finally craft results in most of us being moved to the public option plan, we should not tolerate that the Federal employees, White house staff and Congress to have a separate or better system than we do.

[technotwit]

20. $750?

But wouldn't $750 a worker per year be a bargain? I know my employer pays more than $62.50 a month for my health care (about $700).

[Vidar]

17. If there' s a convoluted, inefficient, fucked up, corrupt way to do do something,

count on the government to find it.

[joeycola]

19. yes. damm!!