Moving Out of Hypocrisy and Into Straight-Out Lies . . .

I got this news via Disrupt the Narrative, who got it via Ace of Spades:

“The White Castle hamburger chain fears that a health insurance reform law adopted earlier this year will put its profits on a downward slide.The Columbus-based family owned restaurant chain says a single provision in the bill will eat up roughly 55 percent of its yearly net income after 2014.

Starting that year, the bill levies a $3,000-per-employee penalty on companies whose workers pay more than 9.5 % of household income in premiums for company-provided insurance.

White Castle, which currently provides insurance to all of its full-time workers and picks up 70 to 89 percent of their premium costs, believes it will likely end up paying those penalties. The financial hit will make it hard for the company to maintain its 421 restaurants, let alone create new jobs, says company spokesman Jamie Richardson. (quoted from this article in Cleveland.com)

Of course, there is an obvious solution, which White Castle management is now forced to consider: 

“White Castle, which began offering health insurance to workers in 1924, is also examining whether it would make financial sense for the company to eliminate health insurance coverage altogether and have all its employees buy insurance on the federal exchange.”  (also quoted from Cleveland.com article)

Whoa there, wait a minute.  I remember some assurances, some promises being made.

What were they?

Oh yeah, the President’s remarks on healthcare reform in March ’10: 

“The proposal I’ve put forward gives Americans more control over their health care. . . .  It builds on the current system where most Americans get their health insurance from their employer.  If you like your plan, you can keep your plan.”

And lookie here, at this helpful bit of the WhiteHouse.gov site:

“Q: Will my coverage at work change?

A: No. If you like the health plan you have, you will be able to keep it. 

• Nothing in the health reform bill will require you to change your coverage. What the bill will do is strengthen the coverage you get at work by making it  easier to understand and adding some clear rules to rein in the worst insurance company abuses.”

Yyyeaahh, riiight.

How much longer can folks ignore, and this country endure, out-right lies like this?