This monumental assfucking brought to you by the Democratic party

[Ansur]

AT&T, Verizon, others, thought about dropping health plans - May. 5, 2010

many large companies are examining a course that was heretofore unthinkable, dumping the health care coverage they provide to their workers in exchange for paying penalty fees to the government.

AT&T revealed that it spends $2.4 billion a year on coverage for its almost 300,000 active employees, a number that would fall to $600 million if AT&T stopped providing health care coverage and paid the penalty option instead.

Kenneth Huhn, vice president of labor relations at Deere, said in an internal email that his company should look at the alternatives to providing health benefits, which "would amount to denying coverage and just paying the penalty,"

In the days after President Obama signed the bill on March 24, a number of companies announced big write downs due to some fiscal changes it ushered in...The announcements greatly annoyed Representative Henry Waxman, who accused the companies of using the big numbers to exaggerate health care reform's burden on employers...He wanted every document the companies created that discussed what the bill would do to their most uncontrollable expense: healthcare costs...The request yielded 1,100 pages of documents from four major employers: AT&T, Verizon, Caterpillar and Deere . No sooner did the Democrats on the Energy Committee read them than they abruptly cancelled the hearings. On April 14, the Committee's majority staff issued a memo stating that the write downs were "proper and in accordance with SEC rules." The committee also stated that the memos took a generally sunny view of the new legislation. The documents, said the Democrats' memo, show that "the overall impact of health reform on large employers could be beneficial."

Nowhere in the five-page report did the majority staff mention that not one, but all four companies, were weighing the costs and benefits of dropping their coverage.

"Even though the proposed assessments [on companies that do not provide health care] are material, they are modest when compared to the average cost of health care," and that to avoid costs and regulations, "employers may consider exiting the health care market and send employees to the Exchanges."

it would hugely magnify the projected costs for the bill, which controls deficits only by assuming that America's employers would remain the backbone of the nation's health care system.

The House of Representatives passed the Senate health care reform bill by a vote of 219-212 with 34 Democrats voting no and not one Republican Member voting for the legislation.

"Today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. Today," Mr. Obama said from the East Room of the White House. "The bill I'm signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for." "all of the overheated rhetoric over reform will finally confront the reality of reform.'' March 23, 2010

Be sure and get al that oil from the Gulf of Mexico, we're going to need all the lube we can get.

[BrownEyedBtch]

My property owner dropped me to part time because he didn't feel like paying my benefits anymore. Then my maintenance man ended up in a motorcycle accident and seriously injured. Fuck these people.

[banger316]

Originally Posted by Ansur

AT&T, Verizon, others, thought about dropping health plans - May. 5, 2010














The House of Representatives passed the Senate health care reform bill by a vote of 219-212 with 34 Democrats voting no and not one Republican Member voting for the legislation.

"Today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America. Today," Mr. Obama said from the East Room of the White House. "The bill I'm signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have fought for." "all of the overheated rhetoric over reform will finally confront the reality of reform.'' March 23, 2010

Be sure and get al that oil from the Gulf of Mexico, we're going to need all the lube we can get.

So if i understand you ansur your mad at the democrats and obama for this bill which lord forbid expects companies to offer health care to their employees wow what a bunch of assholes they are. Meanwhile these companies who always seem to have plenty of money for their ceo's bonus's are giving the working man the middle finger. If you wanna be upset at some one obama is not taking away your health care coverage these companies are be mad at them.

It's like being mad at illegal aliens for taking american's jobs while forgetting that companies are the one's who hire them, and pay them under the table to save money. Greed is the dark side of capitalism no one ever talks about. Shame on these companies for using the penalties as a loophole to get out of doing the right thing by making sure employees are treated fairly by providing basic health care coverage.

[John Galt]

Employers got into the business of providing healthcare because of government wage and price controls (FDR). Why should your boss be responsible for your bunions or the government for your gout? The assfucking you speak of started 60+ years ago, the lube is just starting to wear thin.

[Ansur]

Originally Posted by banger316

So if i understand you ansur your mad at the democrats and obama for this bill which lord forbid expects companies to offer health care to their employees wow what a bunch of assholes they are.

No, you don't understand. What the bill did (as is stated above and in the article) is make it CHEAPER for these big corporations to STOP providing health insurance to their employees.

The employees will be told to get their health insurance through the government mandated exchanges, and the employees will either have to do that or pay the fines stipulated in the bill.

1. We have a high unemployment rate.
2. It will save the average large company about 70% to cut health insurance and pay the fine instead.
3. Individuals will be required by law to have health insurance or pay a fine.

Now, if you make it cheaper for all large companies to not provide health insurance AND still know that all of their employees will still get covered, you get all large companies cutting benefits because it helps thier bottom line.

To compete for better employees, they can take some of those savings and offer a higher salary and still be saving millions.

Now, would you like to guess where the money comes from to cover everyone else? Government subsidies pay a part and the individual pays the rest. This will of course cost billions of extra dollars, which will mean the government needs more money. Between the higher cost for your own health care plan and the extra money from taxes needed to pay for it and the now guaranteed customer base for health insurance companies, the only way to get costs down will be to make doctors charge less. That will cause fewer people to see 8 years of school and spending/borrowing $40k-100k+ as a good career choice.

So, with fewer doctors making less money and more people going to them, this will not increase the quality of medical care you get and it will cost WAY more than they said. And what I am mad about is that a bill was forced though without being read or understaood by many that voted for it, unless they did understand it and this was their plan all along.

[picard102]

You do know there is a war going on?

[spooky]

In a few more years, the Republicans will run the white house and/or have a super majority. If we get a decent candidate in there for prezzie, I do expect actual reform to happen.

Did you know that the money I make in Australia gets taxed, justly so, by Australia, but I have to pay American taxes on it as well(the principal amount, too!)? I think America is the only country in the world with the audacity to do that. If I am left a house in Germany from a deceased relative, the US government demands a cut. Not sure if I have to pay property taxes to America on foreign real estate, but I doubt I can write it off...

So the price for my American passport is double taxation and, since Australia has universal health care, I will likely be paying the $700 annual fine for not purchasing private health care coverage in America(that would only offer me reduced coverage abroad, anyway).

So I think there's still a lot of unfair left in government needing reform that the democrats would never touch.

Originally Posted by banger316

Meanwhile these companies who always seem to have plenty of money for their ceo's bonus's are giving the working man the middle finger.

Okay, so I don't think you get it.

Think of a CEO like an NFL player, a free agent in a competitive market. This is the guy who has the most influence on how well a huge company employing thousands, maybe tens or hundreds of thousands, does financially. A bad player may cost you the company, an exceptional player may make the game's winning touchdown. If you can't afford to pay top dollar to an exceptional player, that player will go to another team that can pay. You stand on principle and pay peanuts, you are going to get a shitty CEO by comparison and stick it to the working man by causing him to lose his job while the company flounders.

What do you think Steve Jobs is worth, if he decided to walk away from Apple and run another company? You don't think he's worth millions? You think he would even entertain the notion of working for $250,000 a year? But the benefit to the company hiring him would likely be exceptional, bringing windfall profits and expanding to employ many many more, increasing benefits for all and adding job security, not to mention the extra money investors would make on stocks. Don't forget that many companies hand out stock as part of a benefits package.

I get tired of seeing the CEO thing beat to death. It's true that paying top dollar for a high grade CEO doesn't guarantee a win, but having an all star team will improve your shot at the super bowl. Sometimes you lose, anyway, sometimes the CEO was a dud, but that doesn't mean the whole system is shite.

If you think I don't get it, please explain.

[DWarrior]

Originally Posted by spooky

In a few more years, the Republicans will run the white house and/or have a super majority. If we get a decent candidate in there for prezzie, I do expect actual reform to happen.

Did you know that the money I make in Australia gets taxed, justly so, by Australia, but I have to pay American taxes on it as well(the principal amount, too!)? I think America is the only country in the world with the audacity to do that. If I am left a house in Germany from a deceased relative, the US government demands a cut. Not sure if I have to pay property taxes to America on foreign real estate, but I doubt I can write it off...

So the price for my American passport is double taxation and, since Australia has universal health care, I will likely be paying the $700 annual fine for not purchasing private health care coverage in America(that would only offer me reduced coverage abroad, anyway).

So I think there's still a lot of unfair left in government needing reform that the democrats would never touch.



Okay, so I don't think you get it.

Think of a CEO like an NFL player, a free agent in a competitive market. This is the guy who has the most influence on how well a huge company employing thousands, maybe tens or hundreds of thousands, does financially. A bad player may cost you the company, an exceptional player may make the game's winning touchdown. If you can't afford to pay top dollar to an exceptional player, that player will go to another team that can pay. You stand on principle and pay peanuts, you are going to get a shitty CEO by comparison and stick it to the working man by causing him to lose his job while the company flounders.

What do you think Steve Jobs is worth, if he decided to walk away from Apple and run another company? You don't think he's worth millions? You think he would even entertain the notion of working for $250,000 a year? But the benefit to the company hiring him would likely be exceptional, bringing windfall profits and expanding to employ many many more, increasing benefits for all and adding job security, not to mention the extra money investors would make on stocks. Don't forget that many companies hand out stock as part of a benefits package.

I get tired of seeing the CEO thing beat to death. It's true that paying top dollar for a high grade CEO doesn't guarantee a win, but having an all star team will improve your shot at the super bowl. Sometimes you lose, anyway, sometimes the CEO was a dud, but that doesn't mean the whole system is shite.

If you think I don't get it, please explain.

Too bad Republicans are mostly fucktards, so whoever they put up will be a fucktard.

[spooky]

Originally Posted by DWarrior

Too bad Republicans are mostly fucktards, so whoever they put up will be a fucktard.

I don't know what kind of friends you have, but all the Republicans I know are pretty damned smart.

[DWarrior]

Originally Posted by spooky

I don't know what kind of friends you have, but all the Republicans I know are pretty damned smart.

selection bias