Workers with crappy health coverage now facing none at all
My Facebook friend Lara Shepard-Blue, a union organizer in Western Massachusetts, just posted this grim bit of news:
The contract covering 42,000 Stop & Shop workers in MA, CT and RI expired last night with no agreement. The problem is the company’s Obamacare-prompted proposal to eliminate medical insurance and prescription coverage for part-timers. Because caps on coverage aren’t allowed under Obamacare and the current plan for PTers has a $20K cap, they say the cost of coverage for part-timers will increase to the same cost as for full-timers when this part of the law goes into effect.
LBO News from Doug Henwood 
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Thanks for the mention, but I actually think they have really good coverage. Not crappy at all, from what I’ve heard. Stop & Shop’s health benefits for PTers, including prescription coverage, set a standard much better than non-union chains like Big Y. Of course, S&S wanted to drop their health benefits even before Obamacare to be “competetive,” and the union has fought back. Hopefully S&S hasn’t found their excuse, and UFCW fights. If anyone from the union knows more, please tell.
Yes, it does seem a bit like Obama approved healthcare legislation is running partly in the direction of, ‘the worse it gets, the better it gets’. The political psychology is akin to, ‘price incentive’ driving everyone in the direction of at best, single payer. Of course, the worst is already here in many places as per above.