that we'll be revisiting health care after the republicans repeal the last debacle (or pare down major pieces of it.) We didn't do the job the first time, so we get to do it again later.

This is the bending. Employers cut their costs by passing them on to employees.

First, let me note that McDonald's is already denying that they are actually making plans to end their coverage. Apparently, they have objected to the requirement in the legislation regarding MLR (medical loss ratio,) which pertains to the percentage of insurer's premiums that must pay for actual medical costs. McDonald's is a truncated version of health insurance, with limiting caps on both number of MD visits and limits on annual payment per person. So its insurance doesn't protect its employees if they get really sick, i.e., develop cancer, say.

The legislation anticipated that until the exchanges are up, some pre-existing medical plans would have to be waivered-in.

Jon Cohn at TNR has a helpful take on what's going on.