Why Unions are in Politics…

US Congressmen, Senators, and Oklahoma Governors often decide issues by a vote that affect our daily lives, i.e., labor contracts, they can freeze wages and do away with medical insurance for example:

An emergency rule that eliminates birth as a qualifying event for individual health insurance coverage was approved by Republican Gov. Mary Fallin this week, a spokesman for her office said.

The new rule would amend a rule adopted this summer by eliminating birth as a qualifying event for individual insurance coverage. Additionally, the proposal would eliminate a provision that states nothing shall alter the ability of an applicant to obtain a child-only policy outside of the open enrollment period upon the occurrence of a qualifying event.

Under the new rule, current health insurance industry regulations would be changed to “non-health” eligibility underwriting rules may be applied to child-only coverage, provided such eligibility rules are uniformly applied to all applicants applying for child- only coverage.

Officials with the Oklahoma Hospital Association and the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy opposed the rule.

“We are very concerned by the rule,” said Patti Davis, the OHA’s Executive Vice President. “We think the zero-to-1 population needs to be covered. When births are great, everything is fine. But we know, unfortunately, that there are often issues you don’t know about until a baby is born. That’s a big concern.”