yahoo.com: Citing health care law, Boeing pares employee plan

[Thiebear]

WASHINGTON – Aerospace giant Boeing is joining the list of companies that say the [url="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101018/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_costs_boeing could have a potential downside for their workers.

In a letter mailed to employees late last week, the company cited the overhaul as part of the reason it is asking some 90,000 nonunion workers to pay significantly more for their health costs next year. A copy of the letter was obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

"The newly enacted health care reform legislation, while intended to expand access to care for millions of uninsured Americans, is also adding cost pressure as requirements of the new law are phased in over the next several years," wrote Rick Stephens, Boeing's senior vice president for human resources.

Boeing is the latest major employer to signal a shift for its workers as a result of the legislation, which expands coverage to more than 30 million uninsured people and ranks as President Barack Obama's top domestic achievement. Earlier, McDonald's had raised questions about whether a limited benefit plan that serves some 30,000 of its employees would remain viable under the law. That prompted the administration to issue McDonald's a waiver from certain requirements under the law.

Spokeswoman Karen Forte said the Boeing plan is more generous than what its closest competitors offer, and the company was concerned it would get hit with a new tax under the law.

The tax on so-called "Cadillac" health plans doesn't take effect until 2018, but employers are already beginning to assess their exposure because it is hefty: at 40 percent of the value above $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for a family plan.

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Who didn't see this coming? It was brought up over and over with those concerned about the COST implications of this on the economy. and the people.

Boeing employees that were getting the base system (albeit apparently great) are now going to end up HMO'd. I'm sure they are getting a warm fuzzy feeling of uncertanty and dread.

And when your sick, thats how you want to pile it on.

(Then you have the other aspect: Costs,

IF were giving waivers on one end of the plan' while not implementing Taxes on the other end of the plan.

And were getting millions more people than cited, with the GAO saying the costs rose exponentially not linear.

This is exactly what some thought it would be: 4Trillion vs. savings.

[December90]

And this surprises who?

Anyone who says they are surprised is either a liar or an idiot.

[TMK9973]

As I've stated before -

I think the effect of this over the next 25 years will be companies will stop offering health plans, but they will become more affordable on the open market meaning more people will buy their own plan (even if their company offers it, people will start opting out) and in 25 years most people will buy health care on the open market and have better rates and better service due to competiation.

[aREDSKIN]

And this surprises who?

Anyone who says they are surprised is either a liar or an idiot.

+1

[Fergasun]

Perhaps this is by design to force everyone to want the "public option"... or are we simply going to get a defacto "public option"?

I hope everyone remembers that we never really had an honest debate on health care reform. We had dueling talking points, and even then it wasn't transparent since the aim of the talking points was to win this election. Health care reform was voted on in November of 2008... the dice was cast when Obama was elected with a near super-majority.

Of course the result was that both parties were talking past each other and not honest about what true health care reform means. There was a ultra-right-wing "free market" nearly libertarian approach to be taken and an ultra-left-wing "government only" approach to be taken. However, the baby was somewhat split and in fact this solution we have is worse since it still allows the insurance companies to unilaterally raise rates without transparency. I'd like to know why my health care costs are going up, when the cost of labor is going down and when the cost of technology should decrease over time. Shouldn't people be able to get 1980s quality health care for ultra-cheap now?

[Larry]

Oh, I agree. Things like were completely and totally predictable.

Every time a new law gets passed, corporations use the law as an excuse to cut costs and increase profits.

[twa]

Oh, I agree. Things like were completely and totally predictable.

Every time a new law gets passed, corporations use the law as an excuse to cut costs and increase profits.

Those evil ****s,... how dare they practice good business?

They should be more like the govt and simply print money and raise taxes.

[Larry]

Those evil ****s,... how dare they practice good business?

Agreed.

[Woodhead]

Yea, it is always good business practice to screw over your employees every chance you get, and in the process destroy the middle class.

Here is Mass, where the national health care plan took a model from, things are . . . ummmmm . . . not so freaking bad. My bro-in-law works as a mechanic and has three kids. His employer tried to charge him $250/week for health insurance, even though he was making only $18/hr and bringing home around $450/week. He has three children under 4 and a wife (my sister) that stays at home. Because of the state mandated laws, and the subsidized care, he pays $78 for a health plan from the state that is BETTER than the one offered by his job! But then again, working 60+ hours a week he is just a sponge on the system right?

Just look at Walmart, and how they subsidized the health care of their employees with the US Gov't system passing on their profits to the tax payers. One thing about business, there is no limits to the greed they have. They will and have take the entire system down in order to make more money for themselves. If you don't believe this, you are delusional.

Oh yes, and BTW, not ONLY do we have the second best public education system in the country, pay the unemployed the most money, provide health care for over 96% of our citizens, but also have a middle of the rung tax bracket. , ,Those damn pesky democrats going ahead and actually governing again, DAMN THEM!!!! ;-P

[aREDSKIN]

Yea, it is always good business practice to screw over your employees every chance you get, and in the process destroy the middle class.

Here is Mass, where the national health care plan took a model from, things are . . . ummmmm . . . not so freaking bad. My bro-in-law works as a mechanic and has three kids. His employer tried to charge him $250/week for health insurance, even though he was making only $18/hr and bringing home around $450/week. He has three children under 4 and a wife (my sister) that stays at home. Because of the state mandated laws, and the subsidized care, he pays $78 for a health plan from the state that is BETTER than the one offered by his job! But then again, working 60+ hours a week he is just a sponge on the system right?

Just look at Walmart, and how they subsidized the health care of their employees with the US Gov't system passing on their profits to the tax payers. One thing about business, there is no limits to the greed they have. They will and have take the entire system down in order to make more money for themselves. If you don't believe this, you are delusional.

Oh yes, and BTW, not ONLY do we have the second best public education system in the country, pay the unemployed the most money, provide health care for over 96% of our citizens, but also have a middle of the rung tax bracket. , ,Those damn pesky democrats going ahead and actually governing again, DAMN THEM!!!! ;-P

From those according to their abilities to those according to their needs. Seems only fair right?

[PeterMP]

As I've stated before -

I think the effect of this over the next 25 years will be companies will stop offering health plans, but they will become more affordable on the open market meaning more people will buy their own plan (even if their company offers it, people will start opting out) and in 25 years most people will buy health care on the open market and have better rates and better service due to competiation.

I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense.

There is competition to offer insurance to companies, and a buying a product in bulk (which essentially is what companies do with health insurance) is almost always cheaper than individual acting.

Competition in terms of lowering prices isn't a function of the number of buyers (especially if as a total they aren't buying more), but sellers, and there is no real reason to believe such a trend will increase the number of companies that actually sell health insurance.

[twa]

I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense.

.

Especially since there is no open market under the reform plan what with the required coverages.

[Woodhead]

From those according to their abilities to those according to their needs. Seems only fair right?

One liners make good campaign slogans, but in the real world, where people actually live they mean little if anything.

[DieselPwr44]

Oh yes, and BTW, not ONLY do we have the second best public education system in the country, pay the unemployed the most money, provide health care for over 96% of our citizens, but also have a middle of the rung tax bracket. , ,Those damn pesky democrats going ahead and actually governing again, DAMN THEM!!!! ;-P

http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/23/skyrocketing-massachusetts-health-costs-could-foreshadow-high-price-of-obamacare/

Since the bill became law, the state’s total direct health-care spending has increased by a remarkable 52 percent. Medicaid spending has gone from less than $6 billion a year to more the $9 billion. Many consumers have seen double-digit percentage increases in their premiums.

Even more striking, the 2006 law has done little to ease the burden on emergency rooms, a central goal of all heath care reform plans. A report by the Boston Globe found that in the first two years of the program, the state’s ER costs actually rose by 17 percent. “They said that ER visits would drop by 75 percent, and it hasn’t been even close to that,” said State Treasurer Tim Cahill, who is currently running for governor as an Independent. “It hasn’t changed people’s habits. It hasn’t been successful at getting people to use less expensive alternatives.”

According to Cahill, Massachusetts is still afloat thanks only to generous federal subsidies, Medicaid waivers and gobs of recent stimulus money. “I’m worried that now that this national plan has passed, some of that federal money will start drying up — that the feds might tell us, ‘No, sorry you can’t have this money because we have to go cover Texas now,’” Cahill told The Daily Caller.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/23/skyrocketing-massachusetts-health-costs-could-foreshadow-high-price-of-obamacare/#ixzz12pn6qeab

[Duckus]

Our socialist medical system is making companies like Boeing unable to compete with other manufactures. Especially those based in Europe, who have more socialist medical systems. What?

Stephens said out-of-control health care inflation is hampering Boeing's ability to compete with other manufacturers. Its major civilian aviation competitor, Airbus, is based in Europe, where governments shoulder the burden of health care costs.

[twa]

Our socialist medical system is making companies like Boeing unable to compete with other manufactures. Especially those based in Europe, who have more socialist medical systems. What?

They are giving the employees the socialist plan....I think they preferred the capitalist one.:pfft:

[Woodhead]

http://dailycaller.com/2010/03/23/skyrocketing-massachusetts-health-costs-could-foreshadow-high-price-of-obamacare/

More sensationalism based on slim to no facts. . .

Many consumers have seen double-digit percentage increases in their premiums.

Umm, "many" consumers outside of Massachusetts have seen health care costs go up double digits since '06 as well. . . at least our people are all covered under insurance.

BTW, Cahill is a sham, and both sides are claiming he is working for the other guy. His campaign manager just quit, and endorsed his rival, so I take anything Cahil says with a grain of salt. If you want to look at the Mass Budget, go here. . .you can find all sorts of good information on how to govern a state :-)

[DieselPwr44]

.you can find all sorts of good information on how to govern a state :-)

No thanks,

Any populace that's dumb enough to keep a drunken murdering blowhard in office for multiple decades is not someplace I want my state modeled after.

[Woodhead]

No thanks,

Any populace that's dumb enough to keep a drunken murdering blowhard in office for multiple decades is not someplace I want my state modeled after.

No, instead you would rather it modeled after a person who has failed at every job he has had, then started a war to get his rich buddies even more money. Yea, it kinda sucks when you boil it down like that doesn't it. This, mind you from someone who thinks that Teddy Kennedy is a good example of what is wrong with this country to begin with. The rich person who gets away with murder just because he is rich, then goes on to live life as if it never happened. . .yet if he was an ordinary shmuck like us, he would have been locked up for 20-life.

Both are pretty detestable if you ask me, but if you think my state is modeled after the Kennedy model, if there ever was such a thing, you really don't know your arse from your elbow, so what is it. Did the health care plan in Mass not work? Did it not put the most people under health care for any state in this country? For what, a $3billion increase over a 4 year period, when someone like New York's plan went up double of it with 10% less care? Any you don't think I should be proud of my state? Heck, I bet you are proud that there ARE people who work their arse off in your state and not on insurance, is that right? If not, tell me where I am wrong, because your campaign slogans are getting a bit tiresome ;-)

[Teller]

Perhaps this is by design to force everyone to want the "public option"... or are we simply going to get a defacto "public option"?

I hope everyone remembers that we never really had an honest debate on health care reform. We had dueling talking points, and even then it wasn't transparent since the aim of the talking points was to win this election. Health care reform was voted on in November of 2008... the dice was cast when Obama was elected with a near super-majority.

It wasn't transparent, because we were promised 100% of the live debate on health care on C-SPAN. And Obama refused to deliver on that promise. If you don't want "dueling talking points," show the debate. Especially when you've already PROMISED to show the debate.

Obama, Reid and Pelosi can cry me a river over crap like this. There's a damned REASON they didn't want us to see any of this. Because "change" was business as damned usual; back room deals, special interests, and we get hosed....yet again.

[Woodhead]

It wasn't transparent, because we were promised 100% of the live debate on health care on C-SPAN. And Obama refused to deliver on that promise. If you don't want "dueling talking points," show the debate. Especially when you've already PROMISED to show the debate.

Obama, Reid and Pelosi can cry me a river over crap like this. There's a damned REASON they didn't want us to see any of this. Because "change" was business as damned usual; back room deals, special interests, and we get hosed....yet again.

And you expected something different? Just be happy there was some version of discourse, and a hand extended to the other side of the table, because for the better part of the last decade, there was nothing. What if the D's were R's and in the same position, ask yourself what would have happened, and be lucky you got a single voice. Health care was getting passed no matter what, you are lucky there was a huge recession otherwise your taxes would have gone up 5% like they should have ;-)

[Teller]

And you expected something different? Just be happy there was some version of discourse, and a hand extended to the other side of the table, because for the better part of the last decade, there was nothing. What if the D's were R's and in the same position, ask yourself what would have happened, and be lucky you got a single voice. Health care was getting passed no matter what, you are lucky there was a huge recession otherwise your taxes would have gone up 5% like they should have ;-)

I feel so fortunate now.

[Woodhead]

I feel so fortunate now.

Now you are seeing things in the right light Positive attitude goes a long way haha

[Prosperity]

To be fair, Boeing benefits from shifting the blame to someone else, regardless of whether the new law is to blame or not.