resource pool

[gue007]

For those of you on a resource team that receive higher premium per hour in exchange for no benefits...what is your hospital doing to preparing for this Affordable Health Care Reform Act? According to this law beginning in 2014 I believe, employers (including hospitals) will be required to offer their employees benefits. I don't know if the term 'offer' is also synonymous with 'required' or 'mandated' in terms of the bill. I don't know how the hospitals are interpreting this.

My hospital has temporarily put a freeze on hiring resource RN's because of the uncertainty. Is your hospital also doing this?

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

Employers in Massachusetts are already required to do this because of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform law of 2006. The Massachusetts Law requires employers with more than 10 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees to offer health insurance or pay a fine. The federal law requires employers with more than fifty FTEs to offer health insurance to full-time employees or pay a fine. The only requirement of both laws is that employers offer health insurance to their full-time employees. I'd be surprised if you worked for an institution that doesn't offer health insurance at all.

I don't see this affecting people who could obtain health insurance through their employer but choose not to in exchange for a higher rate of pay. Massachusetts law already mandates that you have insurance coverage for yourself and if you could obtain it through your employer and don't, you have to sign a waiver. Are you considered permanent staff? The nurses at my hospital who fell into this category were all considered per diem/not benefits eligible. Neither law says anything about employers having to offer benefits to part-time or casual employees.