It is not uncommon for employers to require employees with a working spouse who has access to employer-sponsored health insurance coverage to pay a surcharge to enroll that spouse in health benefits.
This is not unreasonable because one employer should not shoulder the burden for another employer.
However, here is a new twist. Now at least one employer is charging employees an extra premium of $20 per pay period to enroll any spouse. The reason; the spouse can enroll in their own coverage through Obamacare!
Of course, this is only a convenient excuse to shift more costs to 
workers. Now, instead of the employee with a working spouse who has her own employer coverage paying more, all married employees will pay the surcharge or have their spouse enroll in Obamacare.
Currently, a spousal surcharge of $40 per pay is assessed to associates who choose to cover their spouse as a dependent under our medical plan. We have allowed the option to waive the surcharge if your spouse is unemployed, self-employed, or does not have benefits available through his or her employer. However, in light of health care reform and the federal Health Insurance Marketplace (exchange) being available to all individuals seeking coverage, we will no longer waive this surcharge. As a result, beginning in 2015, the spousal surcharge has been reduced to $20 per pay and has been built into the cost-sharing rates for both the associate and spouse and associate and family coverage tiers.
And here is the best part, this employer is a major health insurance company benefiting from the expanded coverage required under Obamacare.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Next step will be to charge additional for covered children ( up to age 26) that have coverage through their employer, since they also could be covered on Obamacare.
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