UPS to drop 15,000 spouses from insurance, cites ObamaCare

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

115. You can use the subsidies to buy insurance. It's not tied to whether you are employed or not.

If an employer has 50 employees or more, you must cover your employees.
If an employer has 50 employees or less, you do not have to provide for those employees, but you are eligible to apply for credits.

But a key argument that Obama made over and over and over again is that people were losing their insurance coverage when they got laid off, or changed employers or left employment for whatever reason.

NOW, one can leave employment and retain the insurance they already have if they like it. They can--as an individual--go on the Health Care Marketplace (called "The Health Care Exchanges&quot and "go shopping" for another plan if they want to at an affordable, competitive price.

This is a key aspect of the ACA--they will not lose coverage just because they are laid off or lose their jobs or change jobs. They can participate in the exchange.

I work for the federal government. I can either stick with the insurance that I already have; or, I can go and participate in the new exchanges come October 1; OR, I can opt out of the entire system and seek private insurance. None of that is tied to my employment.

This article explains it the best, citing CBO report. The most important take-away: most people who currently are insured through work-based insurance will maintain what they already have. But for businesses who drop employee insurance, those employees do have the option of purchasing health insurance on their own through the Health Insurance Marketplace or "exchanges".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/15/health-care-reform-will-m_n_1348137.html