It seems that certain unions are exempt from participating in Obama’s new healthcare funding racket/er…system:
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/seiu-locals-including-chicago-chapter-wa#
My question is twofold:
-It is implied that certain organizations can be exempted from the Obama system-was this done because of political influence/contibutions?
-when Social Security was set up, two classes of workers were exempted:farm workers and railroad employees-why were these group exempted?
It seems to me that members of organized labor should be welcoming the Obama system-why would they wish to opt out of this magnificent system?:smack:
Companies must apply for an exemption or waiver with the department of Health and Human Services.
http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2010/12/07/more-health-waivers/
Here is a list of those with approved exceptions:
http://www.hhs.gov/ociio/regulations/approved_applications_for_waiver.html
There doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern. Some have very few enrollees (Maverick County with a grand total of 1), and some have hundreds of thousands.
The question should be, why are these allowed at all? If ObamaCare is such a wonderful thing, why is his administration not standing behind it for everyone?
If it is being done for political donations, then it surely works for both sides of the fence. Cracker Barrel, for instance, gives heavily to Republican causes. (The had been implicated, and later cleared, in the whole DeLay campaign contributions matter.)
Could you help me out on what you mean by this? How can something that doesn’t exist be bad?
Wow, there’s a lot of misinformation here… not sure if folks are reading the links they’re posting. The “exemptions” being discussed deal with companies that have existing health care plans that have an annual coverage limit – something no longer allowed. The waiver only lasts for one year. It’s because changing health-plans in the middle of a contract will often result in higher premiums and loss of coverage for some workers. The waiver gives these companies time to find a new plan.
This is just one example of misinformation being spread about “ObamaCare.” There are plenty of legitimate reasons to be opposed to it… no reason to make them up.
The only groups allowed to be exempt from the mandatory health insurance requirement are those who claim religious objections. Snopes has the full text of the law.
I guessing that all our congress critters are anxious to sign up for Obamacare.
Which is a whole nother crock o shit IMO.
If God wants to damn you to hell for “gambling”, just tell him the damn infidels stole the premium from you and he needs to go smite their arses…
Members of Congress are federal employees, and thus eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, as well as dental, vision, life, flexible spending accounts and long-term care. A Member is free to decline this program and seek their own health care on the open market, including the recently approved health care program passed by Congress.
Yes, lots of misinformation. Nobody could reasonably describe such waivers as “opting out” of the healthcare law. The folks screaming loudest about the law have no idea what’s in it.
Lots of occupations were exempted from Social Security: the ones dominated by blacks and women. Generally, that meant agricultural and domestic workers. Southern politicians didn’t want blacks to be eligible for benefits, and nobody wanted women to be eligible (after all, they weren’t really working).
Railroad employees were exempted because the Railroad Retirement Act had been passed the year before, and essentially granted railroad workers exactly the same benefits that the Social Security Act gave everyone else (who wasn’t black or female).
ralph! You were doing so well, lately. This one is closed.
If the OP hadn’t shot himself in the foot by prejudicing this with his language, it would still be open or at least moved to the correct venue. As it is, it needs to die.
samclem, moderator-- getting here a bit late. Sorry.
Thanks to those who tried.