Union Letter: Obamacare Will ‘Destroy The Very Health and Wellbeing’ of Workers

[Freeper]

Star Member dkf (34,456 posts)

Union Letter: Obamacare Will ‘Destroy The Very Health and Wellbeing’ of Workers


 
Dear Leader Reid and Leader Pelosi:

When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

Like millions of other Americans, our members are front-line workers in the American economy. We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.

Now this vision has come back to haunt us.

Since the ACA was enacted, we have been bringing our deep concerns to the Administration, seeking reasonable regulatory interpretations to the statute that would help prevent the destruction of non-profit health plans. As you both know first-hand, our persuasive arguments have been disregarded and met with a stone wall by the White House and the pertinent agencies. This is especially stinging because other stakeholders have repeatedly received successful interpretations for their respective grievances. Most disconcerting of course is last week’s huge accommodation for the employer community—extending the statutorily mandated “December 31, 2013” deadline for the employer mandate and penalties.

Time is running out: Congress wrote this law; we voted for you. We have a problem; you need to fix it. The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. Perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios:

First, the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.


Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans.

And finally, even though non-profit plans like ours won’t receive the same subsidies as for-profit plans, they’ll be taxed to pay for those subsidies. Taken together, these restrictions will make non-profit plans like ours unsustainable, and will undermine the health-care market of viable alternatives to the big health insurance companies.

On behalf of the millions of working men and women we represent and the families they support, we can no longer stand silent in the face of elements of the Affordable Care Act that will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans.

We believe that there are common-sense corrections that can be made within the existing statute that will allow our members to continue to keep their current health plans and benefits just as you and the President pledged. Unless changes are made, however, that promise is hollow.

We continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.

We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.

James P. Hoffa
General President
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Joseph Hansen
International President
UFCW

D. Taylor
President
UNITE-HERE

http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/07/12/union-letter-obamacare-will-destroy-the-very-health-and-wellbeing-of-workers/
18

      

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023270612

Star Member JoeyT (4,857 posts)
2. They never loved him anyway.

 

Morganfleeman (68 posts)
8. The ACA was a disaster from the get-go

It was the precise health care plan conservatives were advocating for years ago. I can't imagine many Congressional leaders read the bill nor understood many of its implications. The single payer option should have been THE option from the start, along with mechanisms to keep costs down such as negotiating drug prices with Big Pharma.

Funny how a law they cheered is now all the fault of the repukes.

leftyohiolib (3,425 posts)
12. the unions need to separate themselves from the democratic party and form a labor party

and drag working americans from the democratic party or at the least put up their own candidates and stop endorsing Dem's until they start paying attention to us

Are you kidding? The unions love all the payouts they get from the democrats. They will never bite the hand that feeds them. 0bama will grant them a waiver and they will be singing his praises yet once again.

You idiots wanted 0bamacare well now you got it, quit your whining.

[Undies]

Morganfleeman (68 posts)
8. The ACA was a disaster from the get-go

Regardless of your history rewrite attempt, this "health care" law is the epitome of the leftists-socialist-satan's minions-democrat's dream.  You NOW call it a disaster.  Does that give you any insight into the rest of your political philosophy?

Nope?  I didn't think so. 

[Gina]

When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama Administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

Like millions of other Americans, our members are front-line workers in the American economy. We have been strong supporters of the notion that all Americans should have access to quality, affordable health care. We have also been strong supporters of you. In campaign after campaign we have put boots on the ground, gone door-to-door to get out the vote, run phone banks and raised money to secure this vision.

Now this vision has come back to haunt us.

Since the ACA was enacted, we have been bringing our deep concerns to the Administration, seeking reasonable regulatory interpretations to the statute that would help prevent the destruction of non-profit health plans. As you both know first-hand, our persuasive arguments have been disregarded and met with a stone wall by the White House and the pertinent agencies. This is especially stinging because other stakeholders have repeatedly received successful interpretations for their respective grievances. Most disconcerting of course is last week’s huge accommodation for the employer community—extending the statutorily mandated “December 31, 2013” deadline for the employer mandate and penalties.

Time is running out: Congress wrote this law; we voted for you. We have a problem; you need to fix it. The unintended consequences of the ACA are severe. Perverse incentives are already creating nightmare scenarios:

First, the law creates an incentive for employers to keep employees’ work hours below 30 hours a week. Numerous employers have begun to cut workers’ hours to avoid this obligation, and many of them are doing so openly. The impact is two-fold: fewer hours means less pay while also losing our current health benefits.


Second, millions of Americans are covered by non-profit health insurance plans like the ones in which most of our members participate. These non-profit plans are governed jointly by unions and companies under the Taft-Hartley Act. Our health plans have been built over decades by working men and women. Under the ACA as interpreted by the Administration, our employees will treated differently and not be eligible for subsidies afforded other citizens. As such, many employees will be relegated to second-class status and shut out of the help the law offers to for-profit insurance plans.

And finally, even though non-profit plans like ours won’t receive the same subsidies as for-profit plans, they’ll be taxed to pay for those subsidies. Taken together, these restrictions will make non-profit plans like ours unsustainable, and will undermine the health-care market of viable alternatives to the big health insurance companies.

On behalf of the millions of working men and women we represent and the families they support, we can no longer stand silent in the face of elements of the Affordable Care Act that will destroy the very health and wellbeing of our members along with millions of other hardworking Americans.

We believe that there are common-sense corrections that can be made within the existing statute that will allow our members to continue to keep their current health plans and benefits just as you and the President pledged. Unless changes are made, however, that promise is hollow.

We continue to stand behind real health care reform, but the law as it stands will hurt millions of Americans including the members of our respective unions.

We are looking to you to make sure these changes are made.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't this what y'all and every other conservative leader said would happen before this bill was passed? 

[Bad Dog]

Dear unions,  Own It & Suck It!!!!!!

[GOBUCKS]

 

the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

This from the union thugs who gave us this regime.

Good. I hope it does.

[98ZJUSMC]

DNCMorganfleeman (68 posts)
8. The ACA was a disaster from the get-go

It was the precise health care plan conservatives were advocating for years ago. I can't imagine many Congressional leaders read the bill nor understood many of its implications. The single payer option should have been THE option from the start, along with mechanisms to keep costs down such as negotiating drug prices with Big Pharma.

Where do you village idiots come up with this shit?

the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40 hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class.

You ignorant, evil wastes of molecules.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't this what y'all and every other conservative leader said would happen before this bill was passed?  

From Day 1.

eftyohiolib (3,425 posts)
12. the unions need to separate themselves from the democratic party and form a labor party

and drag working americans from the democratic party or at the least put up their own candidates and stop endorsing Dem's until they start paying attention to us

Pretty please?  Tomorrow?  Better yet, get cracking this evening

[zeitgeist]

I for one won't believe a word of this until I hear it straight from Stevie the Chin with the Omaha outfit.  Dude is tapped in solid to the straight poop from what I have heard.  

[BlueStateSaint]

I for one won't believe a word of this until I hear it straight from Stevie the Chin with the Omaha outfit.  Dude is tapped in solid to the straight poop from what I have heard.  

Well, you got one word right . . .

[Aristotelian]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't this what y'all and every other conservative leader said would happen before this bill was passed? 

Yes - but when conservatives said it, it was racism.

[obumazombie]

Yes - but when conservatives said it, it was racism.

So, to recap...
It doesn't matter what you say.
It matters who says the same exact thing.
It doesn't matter what you say.
It matters how you say it.

Anything else ?

[BlueStateSaint]

So, to recap...
It doesn't matter what you say.
It matters who says the same exact thing.
It doesn't matter what you say.
It matters how you say it.

Anything else ?

Yeah.  Who says it trumps all.