O'BamaCare Mandates Health Insurance For Full-Time Workers....

... but not part-time workers.

(When you read the article at the link, note how the writers try to spin this as "good news" for those part-time workers who no longer have health insurance -- "good news" because of O'BamaCare. It really is quite amazing -- the spin. Companies are telling their full-time employees they will soon be part-time employees. And part-time employees won't get health care from the company. But the part-time employees will get care through O'BamaCare which is not yet in place, and for all we know, may be delayed.)

(One can start to see how Aetna, United Heath, BlueCross/Blue Shield, KP, etc., could have a huge "swing year." These HMO's raised their premiums in anticipation of O'BamaCare. Employer-mandated O'BamaCare has now been delayed. Do you think these HMO's are going to lower their premiums now. You get three guesses and the first two don't count.)

Unintended consequences.

BuffaloNews is reporting:

The Rochester-based grocer that has been continually lauded for providing health insurance to its part-time workers will no longer offer that benefit.

Until recently, the company voluntarily offered health insurance to employees who worked 20 hours per week or more. Companies are required by law to offer health insurance only to full-time employees who work 30 hours or more per week.

Several Wegmans employees confirmed part-time health benefits had been cut and said the company said the decision was related to changes brought about by the Affordable Care Act.

However, part-time employees may actually benefit from Wegmans’ decision, according to Brian Murphy, a partner at Lawley Benefits Group, an insurance brokerage firm in Buffalo.

“If you have an employee that qualifies for subsidized coverage, they might be better off going with that than a limited part-time benefit,” Murphy said.

That’s because subsidized coverage can have a lower out-of-pocket cost for the insured employee while also providing better benefits than an employer-paid plan.

Under the Affordable Care Act, part-time employees are not eligible for health insurance subsidies if their employer offers insurance.

One can see where this is going: companies are going to game the system. And the companies that are most nimble will come out on top. 

The nuances of this law and the unintended consequences are incredible.

I could be wrong, but I don't believe O'BamaCare is available yet; if companies are already eliminating their health-care programs, it's putting a lot of folks in limbo.