This is a very common practice in county and municipal government. Most employees are union members with negotiated health benefits. Many employers pay most or all of the premium for gold-plated family plans. When two spouses work for government employers, the employer is paying very high premiums for coverage that is not necessary.
Many employers then offer opt-out bonuses to employers who waive the employer sponsored coverage. The employee has to show evidence of coverage through the spouse to be eligible.
That is a great question! When you consider that there is an estimated $3 trillion in employer payments for insurance, and their burden of risk, it sure makes sense that it won't take long for somebody to decide that there is big profit in not insuring the employees. By law, the bigger employers have to offer something for health plans, but a trend now is to offer the employees a subsidy to help pay for a plan that they pick for themselves off the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) website. In a move that is designed to relieve the employer of the risk, and a great share of the cost, (equaling great profits) the employee is able to "pick a plan better suited for them". I would expect to see a lot of this, as soon as they are sure that it withstands legal scrutiny. Thanks for asking!
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Many employers then offer opt-out bonuses to employers who waive the employer sponsored coverage. The employee has to show evidence of coverage through the spouse to be eligible.