EMPLOYERS OFFERING HEALTHCARE TO ALL EMPLOYEES

WHEREAS, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) aims toward healthcare for all in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS the PPACA encourages large employers with workforces over 50 employees to offer healthcare coverage, either through employer-provided plans or through the health insurance exchanges, to their employees who work at least 30 hours a week; and

WHEREAS a health insurance exchange is a set of government-regulated and standardized healthcare plans in the United States, from which individuals may purchase health insurance eligible for federal subsidies; and

WHEREAS exchanges of this type were intended as a means to help insurers comply with consumer protections and to compete in cost-efficient ways, and to facilitate the expansion of insurance coverage to more people; and

WHEREAS some employers, e.g., fast food corporations, are avoiding these coverage requirements by reducing hours of their employees; and

WHEREAS schools and colleges have reduced hours of their employees to avoid coverage for healthcare; and

WHEREAS our current system of employment-based health insurance creates incentives for employers to keep employee workload below the qualifying level, despite the needs of both institution and employees; and

WHEREAS this practice has a deleterious effect on the workloads of the shrinking number of those employed full time; and

WHEREAS all workers, part-time and full-time, need access to group coverage in order to secure affordable and adequate healthcare for themselves and their families; and

WHEREAS the above reasons have been important factors in the AFT’s support of an insurance system that is fair, equitable and provides for all workers:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers will create and advocate for the creation of contract language that covers all employees with healthcare; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will create and advocate for the creation of contract language to protect workload issues as a result of limiting employees’ access to health insurance coverage; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will create and advocate for the creation of contract language to provide for employer contributions to/for employees who are participants in healthcare exchanges; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will advocate for the healthcare needs of all workers whenever legislation and initiatives are being developed by the coalitions with which AFT participates; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT will support and advocate for single-payer health insurance legislation as the ideal solution to the myriad problems of employer-provided health insurance.