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Originally Posted by IllTestYourGirls
Wait so Obamacare will make people lose their existing coverage if companies do not get waivers from the government?
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Some companies who choose to offer employees health insurance will choose policies that have the least coverage permitted under law; coverage caps that are well below the new caps that take effect next year.
Without the waivers, both employees and those companies (ie. McDonald's) would have to pay far more than many have budgeted for - likely resulting in those companies dropping health care coverage.
In 2014, the waivers end - so it's only stalling for time.
The end game is government sponsored health insurance for all, because many of the alternatives will be taxed (ie. "Cadillac" plans) and/or too expensive compared to the government sponsored plans. Without some major revisions, it's likely many companies will drop health care coverage over the next few years.
To be clear, under all the current proposals, private insurance companies will still be providing the bulk of the health care coverage...
However, the big difference is what health care plans must cover (ie. more medical procedures, no pre-existing condition clauses, no caps, etc) and how the insurance plans will be packaged and sold, such as through government exchanges.
The Obama health care reform plan is not a single payer system - people will be able to choose plans / providers. And, unlike Canada and the U.K, it will not be a fully government subsidized system either.
Ron