McDonald's Corp. has warned federal regulators that it could drop its health insurance plan for nearly 30,000 hourly restaurant workers unless regulators waive a new requirement of the U.S. health overhaul.

The move is one of the clearest indications that new rules may disrupt workers' health plans as the law ripples through the real world.

Trade groups representing restaurants and retailers say low-wage employers might halt their coverage if the government doesn't loosen a requirement for "mini-med" plans, which offer limited benefits to some 1.4 million Americans.

"If you are already getting health insurance on your job, then that doesn't change. Health insurance reform was passed six months ago. I don't know if anybody here has gotten a letter from their employer saying you now have to go into government-run health care because we can't provide you health insurance anymore. I mean, that hasn't happened, right?

So you're keeping the health insurance that you had through your job. And the majority of people still get health insurance through your job.

The only changes we've made on people's health insurance who already have it was to make it a little more secure..."

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Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA): “The rules protect you the consumer, it protects you in keeping the plan you like. Which we said, ‘if you like a plan you get to keep it.’” (Sen. Tom Harkin, floor remarks, 9/29/10)