The Obama administration has given one-year waivers from new rules in the healthcare reform law to about 30 insurance plans, including McDonald's, which had previously threatened to shut down its coverage, according to a report by the New York Times.
The administration acknowledged that the waivers, covering 1 million people, reflected attempts to avoid having people lose their current coverage before the full law goes into effect. Affected companies reported the rules would have doubled premiums in some cases.
McDonald will be allowed to continue offering its employee coverage, typically capped at a few thousand dollars. As a result of its waiver, McDonald’s said it was "confident that we'll continue to provide healthcare coverage for our 30,000 hourly restaurant employees."
Aetna and Cigna have also received waivers to continue selling limited-benefit policies, according to the list released by HHS.
In addition, states such as Iowa and Maine have said they might seek additional authority from federal officials to exempt some insurers, at least temporarily.
Read the New York Times report on healthcare reform.
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The administration acknowledged that the waivers, covering 1 million people, reflected attempts to avoid having people lose their current coverage before the full law goes into effect. Affected companies reported the rules would have doubled premiums in some cases.
McDonald will be allowed to continue offering its employee coverage, typically capped at a few thousand dollars. As a result of its waiver, McDonald’s said it was "confident that we'll continue to provide healthcare coverage for our 30,000 hourly restaurant employees."
Aetna and Cigna have also received waivers to continue selling limited-benefit policies, according to the list released by HHS.
In addition, states such as Iowa and Maine have said they might seek additional authority from federal officials to exempt some insurers, at least temporarily.
Read the New York Times report on healthcare reform.
Read more coverage on healthcare reform
- Senate Votes Down Republican Legislation to Repeal "Grandfather" Clause in Reform Law
- Most Physicians Didn't Agree With AMA on Proposed Health Reform Expansions
- 6 Points on New Reform Provisions Going Into Effect Sept. 23