The Orlando areas big theme parks depend, for the most part, on part-time and seasonal workers. They are struggling with a decision as to whether or not to provide health insurance for those workers, with the upcoming to changes to the healthcare market.
Sea World is the latest major employer to tell its part-time and seasonal employees that their current insurance will be eliminated, starting in January.
The plan SeaWorld currently has for part-time and seasonal workers is an extremely limited benefit plan. It is often referred to as a “mini med” plan.
The mini-med type plans will no longer be allowed by the government’s Affordable Care Act. The law forbids insurance plans from imposing annual limits.
Businesses say these plans are an affordable way to provide basic health care coverage to part-time workers who otherwise cannot afford the premiums of a big insurance plan. However these plans do nothing to provide coverage in the event of catastrophic injuries or illness, Those are the times when a good comprehensive health insurance plan is very important.
Universal and Sea World, currently offer only a mini-med type plan to part-time employees. The employees pay about $18 a week for employee only coverage. The plan also has caps on services.
Part time and seasonal Cast Members at Disney World, are still waiting for an answer on their health insurance. A spokesman for Disney World, where some part-time workers are unionized, said only that the resort is still assessing its options under the Affordable Care Act.
Disney World only has a small number of Cast Members that are currently enrolled in the mini-med plans.
Universal has about 500 part-time workers are in its mini-med plan.
Universal and SeaWorld, say they will not save any money by dropping their mini-med plans, because they do not pay anything out of their own pocket they just negotiate group rates for workers who then pay for the coverage.
The SeaWorld plan, for instance, is 100 percent paid for by employees. The company says it just provides employees with “access” to the plan, which is offered by Cigna. Universal’s mini-med plan is offered through Florida Hospital.
It’s not known whether the theme parks will be offering their part-time workers comprehensive health insurance like some big companies do.
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