Union: Many Taj Mahal Casino Employees Don't Have Health Coverage
By David Madden
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) --- It was just over 6 months ago that union workers at the Taj Mahal casino lost their health and pension plans in a bankruptcy court fight with billionaire Carl Icahn. The union representing casino workers is now releasing the results of an internal survey on how those people are coping.
The sampling of 500 Taj Mahal workers by Local 54 found almost half were still without insurance, even with a company stipend to help pay for coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Union President Bob McDevitt says those who could afford it weren't much better off.
"The average cost for a family is over 300 dollars a month and that gets you a $5,000 to $10,000 deductible," McDevitt says. "So you, in effect, have to pay 10 thousand dollars before you get a pill."
But McDevitt sees that more as an indictment of Icahn, who forced the workers into Obamacare, rather than the Affordable Care Act itself.
The survey also reported 7 out of 10 Taj Mahal workers are suffering from depression every other day.
Taj Mahal officials declined comment for this report.
