Documents reveal AT&T, Verizon, Caterpillar and Deere are considering droping health care coverage

[Schneed10]

The private sector is so far ahead of the government in terms of understanding the tax laws, it's not even funny. The $2K fine was a ridiculous number, it pretty much gives all the incentive a company would ever need to revoke coverage.

Lawmakers = simpletons. That's what happens when you spend half your life campaigning, as opposed to studying the issues and actually thinking about them.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

The private sector is so far ahead of the government in terms of understanding the tax laws, it's not even funny. The $2K fine was a ridiculous number, it pretty much gives all the incentive a company would ever need to revoke coverage.

Lawmakers = simpletons. That's what happens when you spend half your life campaigning, as opposed to studying the issues and actually thinking about them.

This.

[mlmpetert]

What’s also really sad is that this HUGE mistake was caught, though inadvertently, and instead of fixing the problem they went ahead with reform as it was.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

The private sector is so far ahead of the government in terms of understanding the tax laws, it's not even funny. The $2K fine was a ridiculous number, it pretty much gives all the incentive a company would ever need to revoke coverage.

Lawmakers = simpletons. That's what happens when you spend half your life campaigning, as opposed to studying the issues and actually thinking about them.

They're not simpletons for the most part nor are their staff or committee aids, they simply have others writing them bigger checks to include/exclude things from bills. These loopholes are going exist no matter what gets passed...the key is closing these loopholes as soon as possible.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by saden1

They're not simpletons for the most part nor are their staff or committee aids, they simply have others writing them bigger checks to include/exclude things from bills. These loopholes are going exist no matter what gets passed...the key is closing these loopholes as soon as possible.

Well OK, they're capable of understanding the issues, but they just don't bother to. Whether because they're having to spend time campaigning, or because they have competing interests, either way they don't get deep enough on things.

As a result they develop legislation that's too simple (hey, let's just pick a number, $2K per employee sounds good!). Then they're surprised when the AT&Ts of the world, with the intellectual capital capable of catching onto such dubious mistakes, do just that and rape the system.

This is one reason why less government is better. These guys just aren't very good at what they do.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

The private sector is so far ahead of the government in terms of understanding the tax laws, it's not even funny. The $2K fine was a ridiculous number, it pretty much gives all the incentive a company would ever need to revoke coverage.

Lawmakers = simpletons. That's what happens when you spend half your life campaigning, as opposed to studying the issues and actually thinking about them.

Sorry but I think your wrong. They knew well in advance that a $2,000 fine was not enough and would have no affect and companies would do this. Its the game of failing to get what you really want national health care. Think about this fine. Congress them self knew health care was costing companies over $5,000 per year (thats a low figure I made up) and they had to know the math that a $2000 fine would not stop companies from not offering health coverage. They know it will not stop the companies and that what they want. Now the fix is national health care.

[Miller101]

Dang...........this sucks! But, I guess this is what happens when every republican out there votes hell no to everything.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Sorry but I think your wrong. They knew well in advance that a $2,000 fine was not enough and would have no affect and companies would do this. Its the game of failing to get what you really want national health care. Think about this fine. Congress them self knew health care was costing companies over $5,000 per year (thats a low figure I made up) and they had to know the math that a $2000 fine would not stop companies from not offering health coverage. They know it will not stop the companies and that what they want. Now the fix is national health care.

OK bizarro Michael Moore, nice conspiracy theory.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

OK bizarro Michael Moore, nice conspiracy theory.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

OK bizarro Michael Moore, nice conspiracy theory.

It is too easy to figure out and is not any type of conspiracy. Or Obama and that bunch are so f^%ing stupid that even I cannot believe they are that dumb.

[steveo395]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Sorry but I think your wrong. They knew well in advance that a $2,000 fine was not enough and would have no affect and companies would do this. Its the game of failing to get what you really want national health care. Think about this fine. Congress them self knew health care was costing companies over $5,000 per year (thats a low figure I made up) and they had to know the math that a $2000 fine would not stop companies from not offering health coverage. They know it will not stop the companies and that what they want. Now the fix is national health care.

[mlmpetert]

Employers looking at health insurance options - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – The new health care law wasn't supposed to undercut employer plans that have provided most people in the U.S. with coverage for generations.

But last week a leading manufacturer told workers their costs will jump partly because of the law. Also, a Democratic governor laid out a scheme for employers to get out of health care by shifting workers into taxpayer-subsidized insurance markets that open in 2014.

While it's too early to proclaim the demise of job-based coverage, corporate number crunchers are looking at options that could lead to major changes.

"The economics of dropping existing coverage is about to become very attractive to many employers, both public and private," said Gov. Phil Bredesen, D-Tenn.

That's just not going to happen, White House officials say.

"The absolute certainty about the Affordable Care Act is that for many, many employers who cover millions of people, it increases the incentives for them to offer coverage," said Jason Furman, an economic adviser to President Barack Obama.

Yet at least one major employer has shifted a greater share of plan costs to workers, and others are weighing the pros and cons of eventually forcing employees to strike out on their own.

"I don't think you are going to hear anybody publicly say 'We've made a decision to drop insurance,' " said Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. "What we are hearing in our meetings is, 'We don't want to be the first one to drop benefits, but we would be the fast second.' We are hearing that a lot." Deloitte is a major accounting and consulting firm.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Employers looking at health insurance options - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON – The new health care law wasn't supposed to undercut employer plans that have provided most people in the U.S. with coverage for generations.

But last week a leading manufacturer told workers their costs will jump partly because of the law. Also, a Democratic governor laid out a scheme for employers to get out of health care by shifting workers into taxpayer-subsidized insurance markets that open in 2014.

While it's too early to proclaim the demise of job-based coverage, corporate number crunchers are looking at options that could lead to major changes.

"The economics of dropping existing coverage is about to become very attractive to many employers, both public and private," said Gov. Phil Bredesen, D-Tenn.

That's just not going to happen, White House officials say.

"The absolute certainty about the Affordable Care Act is that for many, many employers who cover millions of people, it increases the incentives for them to offer coverage," said Jason Furman, an economic adviser to President Barack Obama.

Yet at least one major employer has shifted a greater share of plan costs to workers, and others are weighing the pros and cons of eventually forcing employees to strike out on their own.

"I don't think you are going to hear anybody publicly say 'We've made a decision to drop insurance,' " said Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. "What we are hearing in our meetings is, 'We don't want to be the first one to drop benefits, but we would be the fast second.' We are hearing that a lot." Deloitte is a major accounting and consulting firm.

I said all along the goal of the Dems and the health care bill is to shift as many people from private health ins to the federal plan. After they get enough people then its just a matter of time until they push for a one payer goverment health ins.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

I said all along the goal of the Dems and the health care bill is to shift as many people from private health ins to the federal plan. After they get enough people then its just a matter of time until they push for a one payer goverment health ins.

In all honesty one of the major issues with our current system is that it ties insurance to employment. It is a unnecessary encumbrance on the system in my opinion.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

The private sector is so far ahead of the government in terms of understanding the tax laws, it's not even funny. The $2K fine was a ridiculous number, it pretty much gives all the incentive a company would ever need to revoke coverage.

Lawmakers = simpletons. That's what happens when you spend half your life campaigning, as opposed to studying the issues and actually thinking about them.

Politicians and bureaucrats suffer from the same thing...they have no idea how the private sector really works. Of course that is a vast generalization but when you think of the two sectors as single entities then the image really fits. Private companies know how to do what they are supposed to do...make money. The public sector knows how to do what? What exactly is the motivation in that sector? There isn't one really.