[quote=briansd1] . . . There is no employer mandate. Beginning 2014, under Health Care Reform, employers of 50 or more employees will be penalized $2,000 per employee for not providing health benefits. . . [/quote]
brian, I see an easy “workaround” in 2014 for small biz here. They just need to make sure their “head count” stays =<49. Easy enough to do. Just use independent contractors (like me) for some of their work (on an as-needed basis). And paying the $2K per (uninsured) employee "fine" may turn out be far cheaper than actually covering them.
I don't miss my "group coverage" at all. The two different health plans I had before (both pd for by government) were far inferior to the one I have now and have declined substantially in coverage and providers in the years since I've been eligible for them. I DO think many employers today are offering the "crappiest" plans available because they are the cheapest and their employees will only tolerate so much in payroll deductions before they will choose to go uncovered.
It's kinda like buying a car. A typical buyer is only concerned with the monthly payment/copays as opposed to what they're actually getting.
I'd rather have full control over the choice of my plan, providers and treatments and be able to KEEP MAKING THOSE CHOICES than have a choice between "Cheap Choice #1" and "Cheaper Choice #2" thrown at me by a "cheap" employer. That's why I have never joined an HMO and never will. I'd prefer to have a policy I can actually read, even if I had to qualify for it ;=)
