Nothing in the proposed rule change would prevent workers from continuing to pay union dues or healthcare fees out of their own pockets, but of course the point of allowing direct deductions at the paycheck level is to make matters easier for the states, the benefit providers and the employees, and to ensure that no one inadvertently falls behind. Cynically, HHS says in its rule making document that it “lacks information to reliably estimate the proportion of homecare providers likely to stop making [union] payments versus those likely to continue making payments through alternative means.”

Source: Los Angeles Times July 30, 2018 18:33 UTC