Home Depot Sending 20,000 Part-Timers to Health Exchanges

[Purveyor]

By Chris Burritt - Sep 19, 2013

Home Depot Inc. (HD), the world’s largest home improvement retailer, plans to end medical coverage for about 20,000 part-time employees and direct them to government-sponsored exchanges scheduled to open next month as companies revamp benefits to fit the U.S. Affordable Care Act.

Employees with fewer than 30 hours a week will no longer be offered limited liability medical coverage, Stephen Holmes, a spokesman, said today by telephone. About 5 percent of Atlanta-based Home Depot’s 340,000 employees are enrolled in that plan.

United Parcel Service Inc. (UPS), Trader Joe’s Co. and other employers have been cutting benefits ahead of next month’s roll-out of government exchanges that were designed to give uninsured Americans a chance to buy taxpayer-subsidized medical coverage. While the corporate scale-back could benefit low-wage employees who may find better options through Obamacare, it’s not what the law intended, said Robert Laszewski, an industry consultant.

“Obamacare is predicated on employers maintaining coverage,” Laszewski, who is based in Alexandria, Virginia, said by phone. “It’s supposed to pick up the relatively few people who can’t access health insurance because they’re self-employed or work for small employers who can’t afford it. The big guys were supposed to stay committed.”

more...

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-19/home-depot-sending-20-000-part-timers-to-health-exchanges.html

[redstatebluegirl]

1. What happens if they get rid of Obamacare?

Will these people be out in the cold or will these big corporation reinstate insurance for their people? Of course I know the answer to this, this is a way for them to get out of paying benefits AGAIN!

[geek tragedy]

2. So, this strengthens the exchanges then by broadening their pools.

Thank you, corporate America!

[AZ Mike]

3. Laszewski is wrong....

That employees are not dependent upon the employer for his or her healthcare is a benefit to citizens. This was discussed in the development of this bill - "job lock". I am happy to see that private businesses are promoting participation on the exchanges. Good on Trader Joes, UPS, Walgreens, and good on Home Depot.

Home Depot, by the way, is run by a really nasty Reich winger. I don't shop there, but kudos where it is deserved.

[pscot]

4. The more people forced onto Affordable Care coverage

the greater its constituency.

[handmade34]

5. I would like

to see all this bru-ha-ha turned into health care insurance NOT being tied to employment...

...so much disinformation, lies, disingenuous talk by conservatives... nothing simple about this but the Republicans are acting fucking evil in regards to "Obamacare"



http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/21/smallbusiness/obamacare/index.html

Putting it all together, the data shows that only a tiny sliver of the nation's small businesses face the new rules -- and even fewer face any changes. Of the country's 6.5 million workplaces, only 1% must actually start providing insurance next year.

[Generic Other]

6. So only 5% of their part timers were enrolled in their plan now?

Now 100% will have coverage soon? And this is a problem for the workers who clearly could not afford their current plan? Laszewski sounds like a naive dummy. The more people that corporate America send to the exchanges, the better the program will work ultimately. Right? Isn't it like a co-op of sorts? The more in it, the closer to single payer?

I think the corporates have figured out something they don't want the rest of us to learn.

The plan has some benefit for everyone except them. Parents got their kids longer coverage. Pre-existing got coverage. Part time got benefits. Unemployed get coverage. No more medi-gap years for older workers. Some can afford to retire before medicare kicks in if they have low cost healthcare coverage of some kind.

I wanted single payer, but even though this falls short, these things are better than what we have now. And we can continue to demand more. Like dental. And less expensive prescription drugs. It is coming. I can feel it by the strength of the opposition.

[FarCenter]

7. 5% of total employees were part time employees that were enrolled in their plan

340,000 is the count of total employees.

[Generic Other]

8. And they all had a limited plan

but now have a full plan probably subsidized as they don't earn enough to pay more? That's still a better deal.

on edit:
"limited liability medical coverage" does not sound like anything to brag about. So now they are too cheap to comply with the new expectations. Pffft.