ERRP - The Obamacare Union Payoff

[somarco]

HHS has now reported that, thru December 2, the Early Retiree Reimbursement Program (ERRP) has paid out just over $4.5 billion or almost 91% of the authorized funds. This total amount was distributed among approximately 2,700 group sponsors of pre-Medicare retiree plans.

The HHS report shows that the UAW retiree trust has received over $387 million - which is, all by itself, 8.5% of the total distributed.

Other facts revealed in the report:
InsureBlog: ERRP - We have to pass this bill so that you can find out what is in it.

 

[AllenChicago]

Well what do ya know.. President Obama's "loyal" Union leadership is turning against ObamaCare in large numbers.

""In a new op-ed published in The Hill, UFCW President Joe Hansen homed in on the president's speech at the 2009 AFL-CIO convention. Obama at the time said union members could keep their insurance under the law, but Hansen writes "that the president's statement to labor in 2009 is simply not true for millions of workers.""

Source: Unions break ranks on ObamaCare - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

IMO, Union leadership is upset because they will lose lots of workers to the exchanges. They will no longer be able to charge extra-high premiums for Union Health Plans and keep a portion of the funds for "other" uses. The same thing they accused the mean, heartless, insurance companies of doing in pre-MLR days.
-ac

 

[Expat]

Well what do ya know.. President Obama's "loyal" Union leadership is turning against ObamaCare in large numbers.

""In a new op-ed published in The Hill, UFCW President Joe Hansen homed in on the president's speech at the 2009 AFL-CIO convention. Obama at the time said union members could keep their insurance under the law, but Hansen writes "that the president's statement to labor in 2009 is simply not true for millions of workers.""

Source: Unions break ranks on ObamaCare - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

IMO, Union leadership is upset because they will lose lots of workers to the exchanges. They will no longer be able to charge extra-high premiums for Union Health Plans and keep a portion of the funds for "other" uses. The same thing they accused the mean, heartless, insurance companies of doing in pre-MLR days.
-ac

Keep in mind that the unions are saintly, and the insurance companies are the spawn of the devil

 

[somarco]

T-H health and welfare plans usually kick back little or nothing to the union bosses. Often they will get some kind of "reward" on the fully insured portion (life insurance, supplemental coverage) but the health and welfare loss fund has to provide annual accounting and reports to the IRS and DOL.

Where the big money comes is with the pension plans. All kinds of under the table dealings there.

If union members go to HIX for coverage the union will lose leverage when the CBA is up for renewal if the attrition rate is high enough. They will still collect union dues, regardless of where the members get their health insurance.

Another concern is the Cadillac tax on what are normally rich union health insurance benefits.

 

[stuy119]

Another concern is the Cadillac tax on what are normally rich union health insurance benefits.

IIRC, the tax was delayed until 2018 specifically for that purpose (rewarding unions).