Photo Credit: Daily CallerBy Patrick Howley
Less than 3 percent of U.S. federal workers want to give up their current health plans and join Obamacare, according to a new poll.
92.3 percent of federal workers think that they should continue with their current health insurance program, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), while just 2.8 percent think they should be required to join Obamacare exchanges and 4.9 percent are not sure, according to an August survey conducted by FedSmith.com, a website for federal employees.
“There is apparently little debate among the federal workforce. Federal employees do not want to be part of the new system… Employees who are already retired have a much stronger negative reaction to being moved to a new system,” FedSmith.com noted.
Though congressmen and congressional staffers have to enroll in Obamacare exchanges, most federal employees insured under FEHBP will not be forced to switch to Obamacare exchanges when the law is fully implemented in 2014. But a recent proposed bill by Michigan Republican Rep. Dave Camp to force federal workers out of FEHBP and into Obamacare generated a lot of concern among federal workers.
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ObamaCare cap on out-of-pocket costs delayed, Sen. Paul calls move ‘illegal’
By Fox News
A report that another provision of ObamaCare — one that would cap out-of-pocket health care costs — was being delayed brought a defiant challenge Tuesday from a top Senate Republican, accusing the president of “illegal and unconstitutional” acts in changing laws without congressional approval.
“The president doesn’t get to write legislation, and it’s illegal and unconstitutional for him to try and change legislation by himself,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., told Fox News.
The New York Times first reported on Tuesday that the administration is giving some insurers and employers a one-year grace period to adhere to the limit, which otherwise would have capped individual costs at $6,350 a year. The full requirement will go into effect in 2015, rather than 2014. The change means some employers — namely, those with more than one benefit provider — could use plans with higher limits or no limit at all on out-of-pocket costs during that period.
The grace period apparently was granted earlier this year, though was buried in reams of regulatory material and was not publicly reported until now. Department of Labor guidelines published in February had addressed the delay.
The confirmation comes weeks after the administration announced it was delaying a key insurance mandate — the requirement on mid-sized and large businesses to provide coverage to full-time workers. The mandate, and the cap on costs, were both delayed for one year, in a move officials claimed was meant to give businesses more time to prepare.
Read more from this story HERE.