Unions sitting out ACA enrollment
It appears that the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) doesn?t live up to all of Big Labor?s expectations. Reinsurance fees, which create insurance for the health insurance plans, make it expensive for new insurance plans to start-up and be maintained, which is one way for unions to get into the market. The AFL-CIO remains in talks with the Obama administration about changes it would need to see before it would support the Act. None of the major unions are registering workers from outside their membership for health insurance, except SEIU which is grouping enrollees into its own plans. The American Federation of Teachers has ensured that its members can take full advantage of the law by conducting dozens of educational sessions, but thus far has not offered resources to those outside its membership.
See "Unions sitting out ACA enrollment", Reid J. Epstein, Politico, October 30, 2013