Or at least that's what the insurance guy told our office employees today.
There's no many of us, just about 15 or so. So the owner decided to pick up the tab for a HMO plan for everyone, and PPO group rates available to folks wanting to chip in a little monthly premium. A dental and vision HMO plan were offered(free for cheap basic plan).
The only coverage of any kind I have now is a dental HMO plan through Costco that I bought, thanks to the advice of a kossack here. My employer will reimburse for that cost, which is a bit less than the yearly charge for the dental HMO.
The random winger rants from the insurance guy giving the presentation was bizarre, though.
He said things like , "Well, I won't get into the politics of it, but here's the TRUTH about this reform".
As soon as the word 'truth' escaped his goatee, I knew we were in for a ride.
My only, and simple, question was "How does the mandate affect our company? Is there an employer mandate, or even an individual mandate that we are fulfilling here?" I really don't know or understand all of the fine print on HCR, admittedly. After all, I don't even have health insurance. So it stands to reason that yours truly is no expert.
Instead of answering my question directly, the insurance guy (and general manager) assured everyone in the room that the ONLY reason we were getting our HMO plans was due to the generosity of our Republican company owner.
Ok, sure. Whatever. Maybe that's true.
But the ramblings from the insurance about how "this is the first time the government has ever made you buy insurance", which leaves out car insurance, were awkwardly enthusiastic. [We've wondered for years how states can force us to insure our cars and not our bodies. ] Insurance guy said HCR would be the beginning of a lot of lost freedoms for America. But of course, "this is great for all of you, to get some type of insurance."
So it was good that those of us without insurance got something at all, but it is bad that the govt. get involved in health care?
Insurance guy blamed people who don't have insurance for being the reason for high premiums, and that insurers get a lot of bad media, and that there were jobs out there but apparently we somehow discourage them from working (unemployment benefits?), and HCR will just encourage more free-loaders to...go to the ER?
You'd think an insurance salesman giving a presentation at a company who just gave him 15 new customers would be a little less ridiculous.