Wow. Amazing what you find out when your ACTUALLY READ the frickin' bill.

Well DUH!! This was ALWAYS the idea, wasn't it!!! Force employers to drop insurance and thereby FORCE people onto the HusseinCare plan!!!

I believe that was the plan but these guys didn't think it would happen this way. Democrats seem to be weak on econ.101 and national defense ( boarders anyone ?) but strong on "social justice " ...but THEY ARE NOT SOCIALISTS...ya right

And the Law of Unintended Consequences opens its jaws and takes a BIG bite!

The folks in the White House were EXCELLENT when it came to all the devious machinations needed to get elected. Who'd have thought that would have been the EASY part?

A promise is just a promise (for this crowd). But moving the ball down-field toward their ultimate goal was always THE PLAN.

I'm with Max on this one, and not the least bit surprised either.

This is how we end up with single payer, they will completely break the health care system first and proclaim the only option left to the "healthcare crisis" is single payer. If the new congress doesn't fix this we're in deep do do and soon. Undoing Obama care won't be enough the must find a way to do what has been promised, bend the cost curve down.

ObamaCare........they didn't bother to read it because it was designed to kill health care insurers.

It's working.

"The Wall Street Journal is reporting that McDonalds Corporation may be forced to drop medical coverage for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers, due to new ObamaCare regulations that stipulate the amount of premiums that insurers must pay toward medical care"

That's factually incorrect but since the facts were accidentally included in your post anyway it can be ignored. It has nothing to do with the "amount of premiums that insurers must pay" - it's about the percentage of the premium that goes to actual health care instead of administrative overhead and waste.

"Starting next year, ObamaCare will require insurers for large corporations to pay 80% to 85% of premium revenue toward medical care expenditures. But for companies like McDonalds, it is difficult, if not impossible, for insurers to achieve such a high ratio because of the large number of small-dollar claims generated by mini-medical plans, and because of the administrative costs associated with high employee turnover."

The regulations required at McDonald's can only waste 15-20% of the premium on non-health care related costs. If McDonald's is unable to do that why haven'twe heard the same complaint from other corporations.

The regulation is requiring that McDonald's makes improvements and streamline its processes so that health care dollars spent go to (wait for it now) -- health care. At least 80%-85% of it, anyway.

Sit on your hands and do nothing Republicans, the adults are on the job and getting health care reforms.

Look over there - a black man! Go make some signs and hold a rally.

The only way in which Obama could destroy the economy more completely is if he started treating us like Pakistan and bombed and strafed our cities and towns with Hellfire missiles.

8. Posted by Dane | Sept 30, 2010 10:55 AM

The regulations required at McDonald's can only waste 15-20% of the premium on non-health care related costs. If McDonald's is unable to do that why haven'twe heard the same complaint from other corporations.

But we have - look to the article in more detail. McDonald's is the only one so far that is asking for an exemption to try and keep giving their employees the health care they have, instead of just quietly canceling the policies of it's employees.

The regulation is requiring that McDonald's makes improvements and streamline its processes so that health care dollars spent go to (wait for it now) -- health care. At least 80%-85% of it, anyway.

And you don't understand the problem. How much does it cost to mail you a check for a payment? For 1 large payment, the 25$ in administration costs are contained with the 15-20% of the money taken in. If you have a large number of small claims (which is what is going on here) the overhead costs eat you alive. And the overhead costs are mostly for the clerks that handle entering the data, and for the computer costs, and the POSTAGE. Very little goes to salaries of executives, as a percentage. These costs are mostly fixed PER CHECK, not matter what percentage of the check that is for. And that is the crux of the problem.

Sit on your hands and do nothing Republicans, the adults are on the job and getting health care reforms.

No, the adults are trying to school you in the real economics of how processing medical claims works. But you are not listening.

And yes, I am a professional. I've spent my entire life doing data processing, including a while at an insurance company, where you can see this kind of stuff. Do you have any idea how much running a mainframe computer costs?

"...and proclaim the only option left to the "healthcare crisis" is single payer."

And that won't be the end-all either. Because when we go to single payer THEY dictate what they will pay and when hospitals and doctors can't operate anymore on the scant (and late) payments meted out by the government they'll declare another crisis! and the government will own the hospitals and doctors will become government employees.

See, they figure if they do it in increments, we won't feel it.

Oyster you are of course completely correct, the other thing I would point out that there is no way on god's green earth that any government agency could run at the effeciecy level Dane and the democrats demand of insurance companies.

Mycroft,

You're wasting effort trying to get Dane to see anything other than the fantasy based reality that exists in its head. Dane is part of the "reality based community", which only believes what the MSM/DNC tell them to believe.

-syb

Dane, you ignorant slut.

p.s. - nice bitchslap, Mycroft

Dane: "Sit on your hands and do nothing Republicans, the adults are on the job and getting health care reforms"....and giving us 9.6 unemployment!!

Heckuva job barry!

Hey Dane, where are the jobs?

Seriously, where are the jobs?

Did you understand the question?

Where are the jobs?

And, finally, where are the jobs?

Once more this is not a bug of obamacare this is a feature, possibly THE feature.

The stated aim of the left is to impose nationalized health care on the nation. Obamacare allows them to force employers to drop health coverage as it becomes too expensive. People will be forced into taking the government plan and the left can blame evil, profit-seeking capitalists for making the whole thing necessary.

So the left gets socialized medicine. They know that the majority doesn't want it so they get to blame employers/big business/capitalism for having to force people into it. They get what they want and their ideological opponents take the fall and the MSM helps them to assign the blame where they want it.

Drago, you don't understand Dane and his buddies on the left think that distroying the insurance industry will be good for the economy. It will surely help the jobs situation, hell the stock market and everyone's 401K will go through the roof once we get those profit hungry insurance companies out of business. I mean after all the only holy entity capable of creating wealth and secruity is the beloved federal govenernment.

"Do you have any idea how much running a mainframe computer costs?"

There are mainframe computers that haven't moved to India? My guess is most minimum-wage employers will drop whatever health benefits they once had. On the other hand, my employer simply cut the number of hours scheduled per week so we're no longer eligible. So we lose benefits and are forced in poverty.

John S, it's what we all have to look forward to on our current course and speed. Aren't you glad you the democrats (the party of the little guy) are looking out for your best interst?

Every Republican, Hell, every thinking candidate should be running on the platform of Repeal Health Care Now!

"Aren't you glad you the democrats (the party of the little guy) are looking out for your best interst?"

Well, they wanted to make sure a liveable minimum wage was in place. Seems at times like they're trying to make sure it's a MAXIMUM wage for as many people as possible, doesn't it?

18. Posted by John S | September 30, 2010 12:14 PM

There are mainframe computers that haven't moved to India? My guess is most minimum-wage employers will drop whatever health benefits they once had. On the other hand, my employer simply cut the number of hours scheduled per week so we're no longer eligible. So we lose benefits and are forced in poverty.

The mainframe computers don't move to India. Only some of the programming staff does.

(My company is currently operating 3 data centers (That translates into 9 actual boxes and over 20 LPARS. And today being the heavy day of the year, we might have to activate a backup computer processor in one of the boxes at that.)

And the computers must have operators, technical programmers, DBAs (That's me), and so forth. None of those jobs are in India, yet).

Keep drinking the kool aid Dane. The hangover on Nov 3rd is going to be a bitch!

Instead of dropping employee health insurance, McDonald's would be better off to switch to a new system that allows part time workers or family members to pool money from each job to buy health insurance. A new company called LyfeBank is helping employers who couldn't afford employee health insurance to now do so by collecting employer contributed healthcare funds to employee-owned accounts. Employees can use their accumulated account funds to purchase an insurance policy of their choice, and pay for other qualified medical expenses with Visa "smart" cards. All with pretax dollars. A brief visit to LyfeBank.com will explain this process

There are lots of things McDonald's hasn't thought of yet that would let them bring their plan in line with current regulations.

If they are at the 78% or 79% level and needed an extension to come into compliance my guess is they would get it in a heartbeat.

If they are at 50% because they spend $25 to send out a check, or if they are just looking for an excuse to dump their health care plan, they are probably in for a fight.

Nobody said improving the health care system would be easy - that's why President Bush did nothing about this problem for 8 years! Not only did he not care, he was not up to the task.

Making McMuffins - and breaking some eggs. Stand back Republicans, adults at work. Go make some protest signs and find a fat, balding Nazi or Mama Bear Grizzly moron to worship instead.

What dane and his incredibly stupid ilk do not understand is before Obamacare, corporations said "I know healthcare costs are not cheap, but it is a good thing to provide for our employees." But now that corporations are being forced to "get in line" with Obama's program the converstion in the boardroom is: "The costs for providing healthcare for our employees is still a big expense, but now with government mandates and intrusion, providing proof to the government, having the government edit their programs, etc., it is just not worth the cost." So thanks to Dane and the liberals, corporations are not going to add frustration to the high cost of medical coverage. Conservatives and others on the correct side of this issue saw this coming but the incredibly stupid left thought they could tell corporations what to do with their money and programs. Wrong. And thousands are going to suffer because of dane. ww

Dane: "Making McMuffins - and breaking some eggs."

Lenin: "You can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs."

Now admittedly, Lenin is probably not the favorite philosopher of Dane's or certain members and ex-members of the obambi regime.

They all seem to like Mao a whole lot more.

Dane: Where are the jobs?

Did my question confuse you?

Here, I'll help you out: sheriff li'l joey biden: "Look, John's last-minute economic plan does nothing to tackle the number one job facing the middle class, and it happens to be, as Barack says, a three-letter word: jobs. J-O-B-S,"

Behold, the brilliance of the left.

Seriously, has anyone seen any jobs lately?

Ewwwwww!!!

Someone had a nasty bm on #8

It amazes me sometimes (though increasingly less so) how the left cannot understand the simple concept of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs -- especially the clowns in the Hamburglar Obama Administration.

When the ignorant social justice crowd "punishes" corporations and CEOs by placing arbitrary limits on how much they can make and demanding what they must pay employees (and health insurance is very much a part of employee compensation), the end result is greatly reduced incentives to start or expand business, hire more employees, pay employees higher salaries, recruit good talent, and so fourth.

But the social justice types think that's OK because more people will end up turning to the government by default. But when there are fewer and fewer producers of wealth and creators of jobs, then the government runs out of money, and the nation's economy and government become putrid stagnant cesspools. Period. Read Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics if you doubt any of this, because where the Hamburglars are taking us is exactly what happened with the Soviet Union.

but, but, the all-merciful, all-powerful, all-knowing one we were waiting for told us this wouldnt happen.

It's quite simple.

The Kenyan community organizer has been lying all along.
Of course the liberal trolls (especially the increasingly obnoxious Dane-ish ones) will not see what is so plainly in front of them.

There are none quite so blind as those who will not see.

Diane wrote:

There are lots of things McDonald's hasn't thought of yet that would let them bring their plan in line with current regulations.

Does anyone know what the hell she's prattling about? McDonald's can't "bring their plan in line." McDonald's is the buyer of the "plan." It's the insurers that can't meet the absurd statutory requirement.

The article explains why this is--high turnover and high-volume, small-dollar claims. If an insurer was able to do this, they would be knocking down McDonald's doors to get a huge account. Obviously, they can't. Before too long, all insurance will be tits up.

The statute was put together by a bunch of dolts (like Diane) who've never run a business and have no concept of how business works.

Here's what's gonna happen--McDonald's is going to have to drop health care, pay whatever fine they have to, and their employees will be uninsured.

This is going to happen everywhere. Get ready.

Turns out this is just another News Corp lie.

McDonald's and the Obama administration are firing back at a report that the fast food giant is considering dropping its "mini-med" health insurance for hourly workers, even as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners said it won't ask for an exemption for such plans.

"Mini-med" plans, which provide limited coverage at minimal employee cost, came into the spotlight after the Wall Street Journal reported today that McDonald's is planning to drop them because of the new health care law.

The Journal reviewed a memo by McDonald's asking federal officials to determine if their most basic health insurance plans can be exempted from the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements of the new health care law.

The law requires that 80-85 percent of the premiums received go directly to patient care, not to other expenses like overhead, executive salaries or dividends for shareholders.

McDonald's said the company has no plans to drop the "mini-med" plan.

"Media reports stating that we plan to drop health care coverage for our employees are completely false," said Steve Russell, a senior vice president and head of human resources for McDonald's, in a written response to the article. "These reports are purely speculative and misleading."

Hold your breath until Michael issues a correction to his story.... lol. It's all just more right wing bullshit.

None are so stupid as those who read right wing blogs and do not think.

Reality has a left-leaning bias, again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.... LOL!

"Reality has a left-leaning bias, again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.... LOL!"

Geez Dane, your delirious. Put down the bong and stay on the kool aid.

Dane, you hateful hate-filled racist -

Wait and see what happens. I tend to trust the reporting of the WSJ.

Steven Larsen, the HHS official who received McDonald's email memo, said the department doesn't want employers to drop coverage over the law. The agency says it has already given the carrier for McDonald's and others the chance to seek exemption from new annual limits on benefit payouts.

Insurers say dozens of other employers could find themselves in the same situation as McDonald's. Aetna Inc., one of the largest sellers of mini-med plans, provides the plans to Home Depot Inc., Disney Worldwide Services, CVS Caremark Corp., Staples Inc. and Blockbuster Inc., among others, according to an Aetna client list obtained by the Journal. Aetna also covers AmeriCorps teaching-program sponsors, who are required by law to make health coverage available.

Aetna declined to comment; it has previously indicated that the requirement could hurt its limited benefit plans.

"There is not any issuer of limited benefit coverage that could meet the enhanced MLR standards," said Neil Trautwein, a vice president at the National Retail Federation, using the abbreviation for medical loss ratio.

A spokeswoman for McDonald's said it would look for other insurance options if it couldn't get the waiver. The company's chief people officer for the U.S., Steve Russell, said, "McDonald's will continue to be committed to providing competitive pay and benefits."

I also tend to think that Sebelius is going to do damn near everything she can to make the Obamacare POS look workable, up to and including strongarming the companies who are starting to balk.

"The McDonald's story is flat-out wrong, and I am sorry that they were not more accurate in their reporting," Sebelius said at a reporters' breakfast organized by the Christian Science Monitor. "The medical loss ratio issue is one that isn't even settled. ... We have assured the folks at McDonald's and others that as soon as we have a regulation that has a process in it, we will begin those discussions."

Damn. What'd they fill that bill with, toilet paper?

Michael loves his bullshit, doesn't he? he loves the power he perceives he has when he lies and bullshits his readers into believing lies. Even when he knows the headline is wrong he still stands by it because heck - if it isn't true now maybe it will be next month.

No, you won't correct your story Michael. Now, or ever. You want it to be true and you're willing to lie if it isn't.

"A spokeswoman for McDonald's said it would look for other insurance options if it couldn't get the waiver. The company's chief people officer for the U.S., Steve Russell, said, "McDonald's will continue to be committed to providing competitive pay and benefits."

And we all know they'll succeed, because the marketplace will fill the need.

But poor Michael will be so angry when that happens, angry and pissed - just don't expect him to ever correct the record.

He'll keep an eye on this story I'm sure, hoping to be able to post more bullshit if he gets the chance, just don't expect him to ever tell you the truth. Even when he has read a statement from McDonald's which proves his headline is a lie - he still won't correct cause heck - some day it might be true.

LOL! How hilariously pathetic. here you go, Michael - here's your sign.

Diane wrote:

And we all know they'll succeed, because the marketplace will fill the need.

You still don't get it, do you? The silly Obamacare statute has crushed the market. It dictates how insurers must allocate their funds, and insurers cannot meet the demands of the statute.

If other insurers could do this for McDonalds, they never would have had to ask for the waiver.

Here's more, for any left out there who care about reality and aren't here to wrap yourselves in the comfort of right wing lies and bullshit.

This morning, Sebelius outlined the two-step process by which McDonald's may get an exemption.

"One is a waiver about limits," Sebelius said. "We have that in our administrative authority. And McDonald's came into hhs and discussed that with our folks two weeks ago, and within 48 hours we approved their waiver."

But Sebelius explained it is too early to grant McDonald's the second waiver it may need to find it economically possible to continue offering these plans. "The medical loss ratio issue is one that isn't even settled," said Sebelius. "We do not have the report yet from National Association of Insurance Commissioners, which by law has to inform our regulations. We haven't written a reg., we can't waive the reg. that doesn't even exist. We have assured the folks at McDonald's and others that as soon as we have a regulation that has a process in it we will begin those discussions."

Like I said, the adults are in charge. Why don't you children just cool your heels and let the grown-ups take care of this, m'kay?

Still hilariously pathetic.

The election approaches so the WSJ (owned by Fox News owner "News Corp") lies and 'bloggers' like Mikey pick it up and trumpet it - and even when it's shown to be a lie Mikey won't correct the post. He likes the lie much more than reality. What a sad little man.

So the dems cut and run from thier job duties for 2 months. Looks like a voluntary quit to me.

Its good though. No more cutting jobs and health coverage for Americans for a couple a months and they will be toothless when they come back in the minority.

So stay gone socialist creeps. You too Barry and Diane #38..

I do find it intriguing that in posts 33, 36, and 38 the obnoxious Dane-ish troll saw fit to attack the thread author - although no one seems to have provoked it.

Fascinating.
Unprovoked.
Hate-filled.

Also indicates The Not-So-Great-Dane may know he has lost the debate on many fronts, so the personal attacks come out. Call it the liberal troll version of Godwin's Law.

Whyinthehell this obnoxious little thread-hijacker hasn't had all his posts deleted is a mystery.

Oh, and good post, Michael.

Anything that gets the Dane-ish tool in this much of a lather must be too close to the mark for his comfort.

"Whyinthehell this obnoxious little thread-hijacker hasn't had all his posts deleted is a mystery."

Because its pin a neg vote on the dumbass day. The commenter with the most neg votes is the dumbest ass.

Dane: "Like I said, the adults are in charge. Why don't you children just cool your heels and let the grown-ups take care of this, m'kay?"

Hmmm, note to self: according to the left, it is considered "adult" to not even begin to draft a budget for consideration, much less pass a budget on time, even when you party has massive majorities in both chambers.

Hmmm, further note to self: research why 9.6% unemployment is considered "a success" by lefties like Dane 1.25 years after a recession had officially ended (according to obambi's administration) and after a massive "stimulus" (payoff to left-wing groups just in time to launder the money back into democrat campaigns).

Again, where are the jobs Dane?

Where. Are. The. Jobs?

It's a shame that people have to echo the right-wing nazi talking heads (Fox) and the left-wing pot-smoking hippies (MSNBC). You are all douchebags. Did you know... Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you're still retarded (especially you, Big Mo and Dane).

Big bloom that health care bill. The dirt from the blast keeps right on falling out of the sky. I don't think that the Democrats expected it to all fall on them.

The problem is obviously the idiotic "one size fits all" arbitrary 15% limit on administrative expenses. When the pool is composed of transient, young, low-wage workers (of the sort we should be helping companies to cover), and the coverage includes many small expenses like office visits, flu shots, etc., the administrative costs will perforce be higher than in a pool of established full-time workers with major medical coverage.

Of course the people who came up with this number - why precisely 15%, and not 16% or 14%? - have little or no real world experience. They spent their careers in government or academia, and became enamored of their own brilliance.

"Did you know... Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics." Foot in Mouth, Head up Asshole

Oh look, The President of the United States himself is posting on Wizbang. Hey, Mouth/Head/Asshole, go fuck yourself... somewhere else.

My apologies to everyone else for going so far off topic.

"Did you know... Arguing on the internet is like running in the Special Olympics." Foot in Mouth, Head up Asshole

Posted on a blog on the internet.... that's the thing about irony it's so ironic.