Perhaps you have heard the story about McDonald’s threatening to cancel one of its limited benefit health plans. As I understand it, this plan costs participating employees only about $500 a year in premium contributions (about $35 to $40 per month) but the kicker is that the plan maxes out its benefits at $2,000. To the extent my understanding is accurate, employees are paying 25% of the maximum benefit in premiums – which is steep. But, to be fair, those plans tend to pay benefits right away without having to go through large deductibles, etc. There’s a reason the cost is so steep – they are highly utilized.
When the Government informed McDonald’s that this type of health plan was no longer valid, McDonald’s responded by threatening to cancel the coverage altogether. In response, the Government (via Secretary Sebelius) blinked and allowed McDonald’s to have a waiver which effectively allows them to continue the sub-par coverage for at least a year. To date over 100 other large companies – AND UNIONS – have filed for and been granted the same types of waivers for health plans that do not meet the definition of acceptable coverage under Obamacare.
Whether it’s a good idea for McDonald’s to offer such coverage is beyond the scope of this post. Instead, my point is to highlight the bigger picture, which is, that everyone is having their “right-to-choose” taken away from them by the Government. And you thought the Democrats were the “right-to-choose” party, right? Guess again. Nothing like Obamacare to make it clear – they think they know what is best for you and by golly you are going to like it.
Granted, healthcare costs are getting higher and higher. Affordable premiums are a thing of the past. Nevertheless, the Government is forcing people into Cadillac health plans – they are forcing people to pay higher and higher premiums, and they are doing it on purpose.
Once Obamacare kicks into full force in 2014, you will no longer have the right to purchase limited benefit plans of any kind. This includes the “mini-med” plans like McDonald’s offers but it also includes full coverage plans that happen to have high deductibles – like really high (higher than HSA-qualified levels). For example, you will not be able to buy a $25,000 deductible plan that pays 100% after the deductible – because the Government says the deductible is too high. Never mind the premiums – the deductible is too high. Common sense would dictate that the limited number of folks opting for those types of plans would be in a better position to know whether they can afford the higher deductible. The Government thinks their sense should take precedence.
Want your freedom of choice returned? Urge your representative and senators to repeal Obamacare. When your Democratic representatives and Senators balk – throw the “right-to-choose” back in their face by asking: “I thought you supported the right to choose.”
