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Report: Universal theme park will quit offering healthcare to part-time workers
A 17,000-employee Florida theme park says it's dropping healthcare benefits for part-time workers as a result of President Obama's healthcare law.
Universal Orlando will quit offering coverage because its bare-bones plan is about to become illegal, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.
Universal offers what's known as a "mini-med" plan. The policies offer low premiums, but also come with tight caps on the benefits they'll pay out. Universal's, for example, will only cover $5,000 per year in hospital stays.
The healthcare law outlaws annual or lifetime benefit caps, effectively making "mini-med" plans illegal. Critics of the policies say they offer only the illusion of coverage, because employees believe they're paying for a healthcare plan but burn through their coverage limits quickly if they actually get hurt.
Beginning next year, large employers will be required to provide a fuller healthcare plan to all employees who work more than 30 hours per week. Some large employers have threatened to cut back employees' hours to avoid the requirement.
