WASHINGTON — Congressman John Carney has invited Dan Eason, a Claymont resident and a Senior Benefits Analyst at Cigna, to join him as his guest to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Eason will travel to Washington with Congressman Carney before attending tonight’s speech.
Congressman Carney first met Eason at the Central YMCA in Wilmington, DE, when Eason approached the Congressman. Eason was worried about potential layoffs at Cigna because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act that would have caused jobs to move overseas. The Congressman’s bill, the Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act, was ultimately included in the omnibus spending package signed into law late last year, thus saving 500 jobs at Cigna’s Wilmington facility.
Delaware’s Congressional delegation worked for three-and-a-half years to ensure these jobs were protected. Congressman Carney’s selection of Eason as his guest highlights not only the hundreds of jobs saved in Delaware but also the importance of working across the aisle to find reasonable solutions to our nation’s problems.
“The jobs we protected in Delaware and across the country show the impact Congress can have when we come together in a bipartisan way,” said Congressman Carney. “Folks are frustrated with the gridlock in Washington, and so am I. This legislative victory goes to show how much we can get done by putting politics aside and doing the right thing. It’s an honor to host Dan in Washington tonight, and I hope his presence reminds my colleagues of the impact we can have when Congress does its job.”
Eason lives in Claymont with his wife Jessica Moret as well as his step-son Justin and step-daughter Amy. He also has three adult daughters, Danyelle, Dominique, and Raven. Eason has worked for Cigna Global Benefits as a Senior Benefits Analyst since January 2008.
“I’m thrilled that my job is safe, and I’m thrilled to be able to attend the President’s speech tonight,” said Eason. “I’m grateful to Congressman Carney and Senators Carper and Coons for their hard work on this issue.”
Cigna employees in Delaware sell, write, manage and service expatriate health insurance plans, which offer robust coverage to people working outside their home country, giving them access to a global network of health care providers. Inadvertently, the Affordable Care Act was written in a way that subjected U.S. expatriate health insurance plans to all the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which placed a unique burden on these types of plans, given that their foreign competitors are not subjected to the same requirements. The Expatriate Health Coverage Clarification Act legislation clarifies that the Affordable Care Act does not apply to expatriate health insurance plans. It ensures that U.S.-based expatriate insurance carriers can compete on a level playing field with their foreign competitors and that American jobs stay here in America.
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