The laughs keep on coming

On Thursday, the New York Times reports, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted to allow employers to reduce or even eliminate health benefits for retirees when they become eligible for Medicare at age 65, claiming it was exercising its statutory authority to carve out a "reasonable exemption" to federal laws barring discrimination on the basis of age.

No law requires employers to pay health benefits to retirees - or anyone, for that matter - but courts have held that if employers offer health benefits to retirees they can't discriminate on the basis of age. The EEOC has now claimed the authority, questioned by some, to allow for exactly that practice.

Some labor unions actually supported the rule, foolishly believing it will improve the chances of maintaining employer-supported health care coverage for current workers. AARP, the sail-trimmer of last fall's Medicare deform, strongly objected to no avail.

So what's the humor in another favor to corporate America? No, I don't mean the rib-tickling implication that Medicare coverage (which generally covers only about half of health-related expenses) is sufficient protection. It's this:

A preamble to the final rule says it "is not intended to encourage employers to eliminate any retiree health benefits they may currently provide."

Oh, those cards. They crack me up. Or break me down. Something.