David Weiner Quoted in Employee Benefit News “Considering the Exit Ramp: Employers Rethink Offering Health Benefits”

David Weiner was quoted in the May 2009 Employee Benefit News article, “Considering the Exit Ramp: Employers Rethink Offering Health Benefits.” Due to the economic climate, companies are considering moving away from directly providing health care benefits to their employees. The article discussed recent survey results that reflect economic uncertainty among large employers and show most employers will either concentrate on cost-containment measures or no longer provide coverage. David commented, “It’s actually pretty easy, legally speaking, for employers to pull the plug on their health program.” He explained that employers need to determine whether any promises of continued health care benefits have been made and take action by drafting plan amendments and resolutions to effect the change, and then communicate it to their employees. David also warned, “Companies should consider the impact on recruiting and retention before eliminating health benefits.”

According to the article, employers thinking of getting out of employee coverage are in a similar situation as those employers who want to terminate retiree medical coverage. The government might make it difficult for them to drop employer-sponsored health insurance in the future. David concluded, "The U.S. model is predominantly an employer-pay model, therefore, employers are likely to shoulder a lot of the universal-coverage burden."