Employers dropping employee health coverage?

Despite all the uproar and anecdotal evidence of employers reacting to the Affordable Care Act by eliminating health insurance coverage for employees, a recent study suggests otherwise.

Healthcare organizing

National Nurses United claims a lopsided victory at a Florida Medical Center. The NLRB conducted representation election was won by the union 158-32. The bargaining unit contains about 250 registered nurses.

Nursing home bargaining units

The NLRB is considering a different standard for determining the appropriate bargaining unit in longterm care facilities. The Board recently solicited briefs on the issue. The prediction is the Obama Board will allow much more flexibility in carving out job classification units in long term care facilities. Rather than presuming only a unit including non-supervisory nursing employees, housekeepers, laundry and dietary employees is appropriate, separate units may be ordered for one or more departments. This would  significantly advantage piecemeal organizing of facilities and Balkanized collective bargaining.

Rising costs for retiree health benefits

The indirect effects of high unemployment takes a toll on healthcare costs of retiree participants in collectively bargained plans. Many retiree-participants in union health and welfare funds are facing large increases in monthly contributions (from $50 to as much as $864 pert month. Yikes!

NFL says no health insurance during lockout

The NFL signaled, again, its intention to play hardball. NFL Commissioner Goodell says the NFL's decision is a good reason for the NFLPA to come to the bargaining table and reach a new deal with the league.

NUHW wins Santa Rosa election

In a tight vote, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital healthcare workers have apparently chosen the National Union of Health Workers (NUHW) as their representative for collective bargaining. The vote was NUHW 283, 263 for No Union, 13 for SEIU. There were 17 challenged ballots. The linked article provides significant detail about the contentious fight between SEIU and NUHW, as well as the roller coaster election tallying of ballots. We have previously blogged about this here and here. The SEIU is being accused of stonewalling the certification by not cooperating in the resolution of the 17 challenged ballots. If the challenges are not resolved there will be a runoff election without SEIU on the ballot, In a close election the outcome of a runoff is not guaranteed.

Labor opposes Cadillac tax

Unions are upping their pressure on Congress to eliminate the 40% tax on "Cadillac" health plans. Cadillac plans are currently defined as those with annual premiums over $8,500 for individuals and $23,000 annually for families.

Survey says . . . .

A recent survey indicates 63% of the employers surveyed would reduce healthcare benefits below "Cadillac" levels in order to avoid taxation.

EFCA follows healthcare

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka admits to the Wall Street Journal healthcare legislation is a higher priority for labor than EFCA.

Man bites dog

IBM has introduced another innovative healthcare approach. Beginning in 2010, the company will pay 100% of its employes primary care costs. Previously the company had introduced a wellness program, with incentives. IBM estimates its $79 million expenditure for that program saved the company and the employees a combined $191 million in healthcare costs. When you have 115,000 employees in the United States you have a pretty good statistical sample for savings. It is unclear whether this approach would affect savings for small employers.

SEIU as bad guy - again

Update 11/3/09: Earth Times reporsts the NLRB has set a December 17th election for workers at Memorial Hospital. The latest article details the 6 year effort, and SEIU's tactics to prevent an election on a petition filed by a rival union. Monsignor Brenkle previously posted an opinion piece about workers in a Santa Rosa, CA, Catholic hospital being denied the opportunity to vote on whether they wish to unionize. The obstacle isn't management now, its the Service Employees International Union. More after the jump

Flu update

Citing a shortage of vaccine, New York has decided mandatory vaccination of unwilling healthcare workers is a bad idea. OSHA has announced it will issue a compliance directive requiring healthcare providers to implement the Centers for Disease Control's Interim Guidance on Infection Control Measures.  The GAO also claims the intertubes will get clogged by the flu. The flu wary telecommuters will be slowed down because the rest of the sickies will be watching porn, playing games and otherwise wasting bandwidth needed to keep the economy working. "Increased demand during a severe pandemic could exceed the capacities of Internet providers’ access networks for residential users and interfere with teleworkers in the securities market and other sectors, according to a DHS study."

Unions snatching bodies anywhere

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting piece about the Teamsters moving beyond its traditional truck driving membership and the Steelworkers organizing healthcare facilities. Referenced in the article is the Oak Brook library we discussed here.

Hospital hit for doctor's sexual harassment

A JDSupra poster has commented on a case tried in state court in New York involving sexual harassment. The jury returned a $15 million verdict against a hospital ( $8 million for past emotional distress, $5.5 Million for future emotional distress and $1.5 Million in punitive damages). Despite the doctor's persistent bad conduct, the trial judge reduced the award to $750,000 for past emotional distress.  Bianco v. Flushing Hospital Medical Center (Supreme Court, Queens County, Index # 18702/04).

Healthcare coverage data

Every now and then in a heated debate its nice to examine facts, and on occasion even statistics. The National Employee Benefits Institute has released a report based upon 2008 year end census data. It notes 61% of "working age" Americans had coverage through an employer plan. That's down from 68% in 2000. It was 64% in 1994, and employer based coverage expanded each year until 2000. Also noted, 82.6% of the non-elderly (under age 65) population had insurance in 2008, a total of  217 million insured and 45.7 million uninsured.

Trumka asks for investigation

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka asks for state insurance commissioners to investigate whether the cost of the industry's lobbying against healthcare reform is tied to rate hikes. "We believe that health insurance providers' lobbying expenditures have led to excessive rate hikes," Trumka wrote in a letter to state regulators.

Healthcare bill aids unionization?

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Committee, claims in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, that healthcare proposals are "a Trojan Horse for more forced unionization."