Universal Theme Park Will Drop Coverage To Avoid Obamacare

Universal Orlando, a Florida based theme park based on Universal Studios films, will not offer health benefits to part time employees beginning next year, citing provisions in Obamacare.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Universal Orlando currently offers part-time employees limited insurance benefits that feature a cap on payouts. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurance plans can no longer place a monetary limit on necessary health benefits. As a result, Universal Studios will be terminating coverage for employees effective January 1, 2014, instead of extending benefits.

Universal Studios is not the only company that has announced they will not provide health insurance coverage to part-time employees, despite pulling in over $1 billion in revenue last year. Wal-Mart stopped providing coverage for part-time employees two years ago. According to ThinkProgress, food service companies Applebees, Olive Garden, Wendy's and Denny's have all announced they will not be able to provide part-time insurance coverage because of Obamacare. The governor of Virginia is also considering cutting the amount of available hours to wage employees to avoid paying for health care under the ACA.

Media Resources: ThinkProgress 2/21/2013; Orlando Sentinel 2/19/2013; Feminist Newswire 2/11/2013

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