Special Waiver Was Deemed Necessary To Ensure Businesses Could Continue Offering Health Insurance To Their Employees
With the possibility that ObamaCare – which was written by Senator Harry Reid and voted into law by Congresswoman Shelley Berkley – could keep small business owners from offering health insurance to their employees, the Department of Health and Human Services has granted a special exemption to 20 businesses in Nevada from completely implementing ObamaCare.
As the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports:
“Nearly 20 businesses with Las Vegas ties have obtained waivers exempting them from an insurance-coverage mandate in the 2010 Affordable Care Act. … It’s hard to determine how many locals fall under the waived plans, though, because few local operations would discuss the exemptions. Waivers are temporary and are granted a year at a time to businesses, labor groups and government agencies that say they can’t offer employees affordable insurance based on the reform law’s mandates. … Just two companies with local ties — restaurant chains Ruby Tuesday and Olive Garden and Red Lobster parent Darden Restaurants — commented on their waivers. Both said they needed the exemptions to continue offering employees affordable health insurance.”
“When The Palms, Olive Garden, and other companies that operate in Nevada need an exemption from ObamaCare, it just serves as another reminder that Shelley Berkley and Byron Georgiou failed to realize the consequences ObamaCare would have on businesses in Nevada,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokesman Jahan Wilcox. “If ObamaCare was a good policy – like Reid, Berkley and Georgiou want you to believe – for Nevada then these businesses wouldn’t need an exemption from this flawed law.”
Background Information:
“The Health Bill Passed By The House Of Representatives Sunday Would Cost Nevada Taxpayers An Extra $613 Million From 2014-2019, to provide health care to the needy. According to early state estimates, the bill would make an additional 70,000 residents eligible for Medicaid. The state would be mandated to cover another 8,000 individuals who are now eligible but have not applied to be covered by the state health insurance program for the poor. About 209,000 Nevadans are currently covered by Medicaid.” (Cy Ryan, “Health Care Bill Would Bring Higher State Medicaid Costs,” Las Vegas Sun, 3/22/10)
President of Straight Arrow Insurance Services In Reno, NV Says “So Much Of [ObamaCare] Falls On Small Business.” “Leslie O’Day, president of Straight Arrow Insurance Services, was concerned about the reforms’ dizzying breadth. ‘The more I hear, the crazier it makes it,’ she said. ‘There’s no incentive to buy insurance until you need it with those penalties. ‘Businesses need to start tuning in. So much of this falls on small business. Employers need to start understanding this.’” (Bill O’Driscoll, “Memo To Small Businesses: Start Paying Attention To Healthcare Reform Now,” Reno Gazette-Journal, 5/16/10)
“A Nevada Insurance Broker Today Said Families Seeking Health Care Coverage For A Child Only Can No Longer Purchase Such Policies Because Of Uncertainty Over The Effects Of The National Health Care Reform Law. Phil Randazzo, chief executive officer of Nevada Benefits Corp. said uncertainty about how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will affect these types of polices has led the companies offering health care coverage in Nevada to independently decide to no longer offer such coverage.” (Sean Whaley, “Nevada Insurers Stop Offering Child-Only Policies Due to Uncertainty Over Federal Health Care Law,” Nevada News Bureau, 9/24/10)
“Nevada Benefits Is One Of The State’s Leading Brokerages Of Individual And Group Medical And Life Insurance. ‘What happened was that children now are allowed to purchase health care insurance with no preexisting conditions,’ Randazzo said. ‘Which sounds good, but the problem is the insurance companies don’t know how to underwrite that or handle that because it is an unknown.’” (Sean Whaley, “Nevada Insurers Stop Offering Child-Only Policies Due to Uncertainty Over Federal Health Care Law,” Nevada News Bureau, 9/24/10)
Congresswoman Berkley Attended The Signing Of ObamaCare. “Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley will be among the many members of Congress planning to attend Tuesday’s signing of the historic health care reform bill at the White House, but Democratic Rep. Dina Titus will be sending regrets. … “The Congresswoman will proudly join President Obama at the White House to watch as he signs into law historic health reform legislation,” Berkley’s spokesman said. (Lisa Mascaro, Harry Reid, Shelley Berkley to attend health bill signing; Dina Titus won’t, Las Vegas Sun, 05/16/11)
