 Image: shiftstigma under CC 3.0 |
Contrary to President Obama’s proclamations that healthcare reform wouldn’t force people to give up existing employer-based health insurance they liked, there are indicators that employers may change those policies after all. Republicans are accusing him of lying to get the bill passed.
A leaked draft version of the regulations for group health insurance coverage states that plans that existed before the passage of the law must comply with some of its provisions, such as co-payment-free preventative care doctors’ visits, covering adult dependents until age 26, and an appeals process for disputed medical claims.
Most employees would consider these additional benefits a net positive (making good plans better), but companies are dreading the additional cost that any modifications to their health coverage entails. They may pass that cost onto employees, although the bill aims to discourage that.
