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Sen. Thune Introduces Bill to Prevent Union Carve Out in Obamacare

John Thune / AP
September 9, 2013

A top Senate Republican has introduced legislation to prevent labor unions from receiving an exemption to Obamacare’s requirements in the wake of reports that they are seeking relief from the Obama administration.

Sen. John Thune (R., S.D.) announced Monday that he is introducing the "Union Bailout Prevention Act" to prevent some union members from receiving subsidies for a certain kind of healthcare plan that already receive an effective subsidy through the tax code.

The Obama administration is reportedly working on accommodating union concerns about the healthcare overhaul, Inside Health Policy has reported.

"Despite championing ObamaCare’s passage in 2010, union leaders are now awaking to the ugly reality of ObamaCare that most Americans have predicted all along, including higher health care costs," Thune said in the statement.

"Now that the full consequences of the Democrats’ law are nearing, these same union leaders are seeking a special backroom deal from the White House."

Thune, chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, called on the Obama administration to delay the individual mandate instead of accommodating the unions’ demands.

The U.S. labor movement has been fracturing over several Obama administration policies, with some of the most public disagreements over Obamacare.

Labor unions are a driving force behind the Democratic Party, putting both their organizational muscle and also their financial heft almost exclusively behind Democrats.