A few weeks ago, I talked about how the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers International had dropped its support of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This week, we have another union upset with the law — the 1.3 million-strong United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. Joseph Hansen, the union’s president, detailed his objections to the law in an editorial for The Hill that you can find here, but I’d like to highlight this quote from Hansen published in a separate report. Remember when we were told if we liked our plans, we could keep them? (Emphasis mine.)
“You can’t have the same quality healthcare that you had before, despite what the president said,” Hansen said. “Now what’s going to happen is everybody is going to have to go to private for-profit insurance companies. We just don’t think that’s right. … We just want to keep what we already have and what we bought at tremendous cost.”
Hansen’s union wants to be able to keep its current health plan rather than accept a plan the government wants to force on them. I agree with that, because everyone should have the choice to get a health plan — for-profit or not — that is tailored to their own needs, and to not have forced upon them a plan tailored first and foremost to some government mandate. Rest assured, Hansen’s union won’t be the last group to have a change of heart on the ACA. Stay tuned for more.
