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The socialists have won one. The Democrats have defeated an amendment to the so-called “Patient’s Bill of Rights” that would have protected employers from health care related lawsuits. I can promise you that today many small and medium sized businessmen are making plans to eliminate health insurance coverage for their employees – and many more future employers will never even consider a health plan for their employees. The risk just won’t be worth it.
An example? Here’s part of an e-mail I received last night from a listener:
I heard about the vote in the Senate today that allows employees to sue their employers. If President Bush signs this into law, I've decided to save possible problems by not offering my employees insurance. I will also very carefully explain why I am taking this action to my employees. Maybe the people who work for me might get it. If this goes into law the only entity that can offer insurance without the chance of getting sued under this law is the government. Sure looks like a good crop of votes coming up for the Democrats.
There were more e-mails like this one. More businessmen and women who said that they were either going to drop their health insurance coverage for their employees, or end any consideration of instituting such a plan.
Here’s another angle for you. Many larger companies are self-insured. They have so many employees they find it easier to create and administer their own health-care “insurance” program for their workers. It’s all economics. These companies have found that the amount of money they pay for employee health care would be less than the total premiums they would pay to cover their employees under a commercial insurance program. The amendment the Democrats defeated yesterday would have specifically exempted these companies – but now they are going to face the possibilities of lawsuits. These companies now know that they will be in the crosshairs of predatory trial attorneys. They’re large companies, with a lot of money. These companies don’t want to become involved in hideously expensive medical malpractice lawsuits. They will have two viable options.
Option one -- These companies can just drop the coverage altogether. They can increase the wages of their employees by an amount equal to the pro-rata cost of the self-insurance program and send the employees out there to get their own insurance policies. The Democrats anticipated this possible move and defeated an amendment last week that would have made the premiums for those individual policies tax deductible. Under no circumstances can leftists ever take any action that would allow any citizen to become more self-sufficient. Self-sufficient people don’t need Democrats.
Option two – These companies will find a health insurance provider for their employees. The health care costs to the companies will increase and the increase will be reflected in employee wages, or the reduction of other benefits.
Now --- one more thing. We’re going to see a new type of insurance policy out there. Employers who provide their employees with insurance coverage will be purchasing a separate insurance policy to protect them against lawsuits. The premium will be high – and it will be a cost that is passed on to employees.
The socialists have won one. The Democrats have defeated an amendment to the so-called “Patient’s Bill of Rights” that would have protected employers from health care related lawsuits. I can promise you that today many small and medium sized businessmen are making plans to eliminate health insurance coverage for their employees – and many more future employers will never even consider a health plan for their employees. The risk just won’t be worth it.
An example? Here’s part of an e-mail I received last night from a listener:
I heard about the vote in the Senate today that allows employees to sue their employers. If President Bush signs this into law, I've decided to save possible problems by not offering my employees insurance. I will also very carefully explain why I am taking this action to my employees. Maybe the people who work for me might get it. If this goes into law the only entity that can offer insurance without the chance of getting sued under this law is the government. Sure looks like a good crop of votes coming up for the Democrats.
There were more e-mails like this one. More businessmen and women who said that they were either going to drop their health insurance coverage for their employees, or end any consideration of instituting such a plan.
Here’s another angle for you. Many larger companies are self-insured. They have so many employees they find it easier to create and administer their own health-care “insurance” program for their workers. It’s all economics. These companies have found that the amount of money they pay for employee health care would be less than the total premiums they would pay to cover their employees under a commercial insurance program. The amendment the Democrats defeated yesterday would have specifically exempted these companies – but now they are going to face the possibilities of lawsuits. These companies now know that they will be in the crosshairs of predatory trial attorneys. They’re large companies, with a lot of money. These companies don’t want to become involved in hideously expensive medical malpractice lawsuits. They will have two viable options.
Option one -- These companies can just drop the coverage altogether. They can increase the wages of their employees by an amount equal to the pro-rata cost of the self-insurance program and send the employees out there to get their own insurance policies. The Democrats anticipated this possible move and defeated an amendment last week that would have made the premiums for those individual policies tax deductible. Under no circumstances can leftists ever take any action that would allow any citizen to become more self-sufficient. Self-sufficient people don’t need Democrats.
Option two – These companies will find a health insurance provider for their employees. The health care costs to the companies will increase and the increase will be reflected in employee wages, or the reduction of other benefits.
Now --- one more thing. We’re going to see a new type of insurance policy out there. Employers who provide their employees with insurance coverage will be purchasing a separate insurance policy to protect them against lawsuits. The premium will be high – and it will be a cost that is passed on to employees.
