I work PRN at a hospital, usually 36-48 hours per week. We have been told that because of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) we can no longer work more than 30 hours a week. While this doesn't officially take effect until Jan. 2015, our hospital is choosing to implement this now.
Of course, you can imagine, we are all upset, particularly those of us who work full-time hours. I choose to work PRN because I get paid more per hour and don't need benefits because I have insurance through my husband's employer.
Our hospital heavily utilizes PRN nurses both dedicated to a particular floor and a float pool. We all feel this is really going to negatively affect patient care and adequate staffing. I am going to find another PRN job to get the hours I need to work each week.
That sounds good ... but I and millions like me did not have this problem until the ACA came along. i did read the law and called the IRS on many occasions and never got anywhere because as much as you seem to not want to believe this is happening to me and millions like me ... it is happening to me now BECAUSE of the ACA.
I know it does not make sense... but it is happening... right now... to millions... and all the "it doesn't make sense" in the world will not stop it. This is a badly written law and needs to be scraped and started over but this time try and cover the non covered and leave the ones of us who have been doing it right alone. Leave the job market alone. By Feb all will see what a job killer and quality of life crusher the PPACA is... a law that Protects no one and is not affordable.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
Except needle safety and seat belts did not cut my hours at work and cause me to have to work a second job. I know all of you love the ACA and that is fine.... but for me and millions like me it is a total loss.
Mark I see that you are new here. On every post there is a way to quote the post you are respnding to so we know to whom you are speaking.
At the bottom of the post you are responding too it says reply Quote " and like. Click on the Quote and you will be able to quote the post you are responding to.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
It relats to the ACA because a lot of us are full time PRN's and can no longer be because of the ACA's Employer mandate and 30 hr rule.
Hospitals are using this to cut hours. They know what they are doing. It remains to be seen whether or not they will be charged....it is not effective until 2015 and while the ACA doesn't specifically say that they would have to pay if there is proof of being insured from another source...the rules actually do not address this and just state that employees over 30 hours need to have insurance offered/given or be fined.
Although I fully understand how this mandate hurt you personally, it really is meant to protect workers who were denied health benefits because of being hired as PRN but actually working full time. Not everyone has the luxury of having their health insurance coverage through other means.
Actually, it is not a petty justification for their own greed, it is the law. I was in a unique position. My hospital wanted me to be on a full time shift in the ER because of my experience. I wanted the PRN pay because I did not need the hospital benefits due to being retired military. I was hired as a full time PRN which means I had a regular shift but PRN pay with no benefits. Enter the ACA. I was forced to either stay PRN and work 30 hr or less a week... or go full time with benefits and work the same amour of hours for less pay. That was not the Hospital but the employer mandate and 30 hr rule of the ACA. If my hospital would have let me continue to work full time with PRN pay and no benefits then It would be fined (come Jan 2015) 2 to 3 thousand dollars per full time equivalent per the ACA. For my hospital that would be a 1.6 million dollar fine per the ACA as written and as it stands right now.
For those of you on this bord who say the ACA is not to blame for this you have either not read the law and talked to the IRS and everyone in between like I have... or you choose not to believe what is true. My choice came down to loosing $8,000 a year going full time with benefits I did not need, or loose $14,000 per year staying PRN. I took the lesser of two evils brought on by the ACA and then took a second PRN job at a Urgent Care Clinic. For me, the ACA is a total loss. I lost money, and in order to make up for that loss had to take a second job so now instead of working a rotation shift that includes every other weekend... I now work the same rotating shift working every other weekend AND work a part time job that take my other weekends away from my family.
Do NOT tell me the ACA dose not cause harm because It is happening to me right now.... and if you are PRN and it has not cut your hours.. it will after January 2015 unless the employer mandate and 30 hr rule is repealed.... and No, there is not provision for if you have insurance elsewhere.
Sent from my iPhone -- blame all errors on spellcheck
That sounds good ... but I and millions like me did not have this problem until the ACA came along. i did read the law and called the IRS on many occasions and never got anywhere because as much as you seem to not want to believe this is happening to me and millions like me ... it is happening to me now BECAUSE of the ACA.
No. It's happening because for an employer this is a chance to cut back on PRN hours because they cost more. They've chosen to misinterpret the law to get rid of you and hire cheaper full time employees.
Go lobby your employer, don't blame a law meant to protect millions of low wage workers who were being abused by employers because they were technically PRN despite working full time hours.
Sent from my iPhone -- blame all errors on spellcheck
Mark what does the IRS has to do with your questions about the law? Call the Health Department, they are the ones implementing the law. Again you are not understanding the provisions of the law, if you work over 30 hours you need to be offered the option of getting health insurance. Anyways PRN employees were never meant to work more than 30 hours, you may as well just be a Full Time employee, I believe that the solution would be to become a 1099 worker, that way you can work as many hours while still preserving your current wage. You may need to consult with and accountant and your employer.
And please understand that whats happening to you has nothing to do with the law, your employer is using it as a escape goat to justify cuts to save money.
And I have to call B.S. on you. I am a full time PRN working a regular shift in an Emergency Room. Come January I will be forced to either content to work PRN but less than 30 hours a week, or go full time and work the same hours I do now for less money and benefits I do not need. That is a fact of my life and the lives of millions of American nurses right now.
I called the IRS because they are the ones who will be fining and collating the fines to the hospitals. And you are so very wrong about this having nothing to do with the ACA.... It has everything to do with the ACA. You can say that I do not understand the law all you want and it still does not change the FACT that me and millions like me are being hurt by the ACA right now.
Once again you are so very wrong... but i understand you wanting to defend the horrible law because you supported it to begin with. It is hard to admit what you supported turned out to attack the nurses at hospitals all over America and it is easier to attack the hospitals and nurses that were hurt than admit the ACA is a crap sandwich for most of us. The ACA has serious job killing flaws and hopefully enough democrats that survived the latest election will see that their end is near if they do not get rid of the employer mandate and the job killing 30 hr rule. I hope you are not hurt by the ACA, and of course if you are in a leadership role it will not hurt you but will hurt the people who work for you.
And do you think any hospital is going to risk being fined a million dollars or more just because it dosent address people who are insured elsewhere? The answer is no, they will not risk it. Remember this is a government that survives only on taking money from others and from business. If they have and ambiguous rule they are going to go after the money until "We, the people" stop them. This is not just happening to me but to millions of nurses just like me. I am ensured because of serving 23 years in the Navy. Other nurses are ensured under their spouse and thus work PRN because they do not need the benefits. The ACA is a horribly written job killer.
Mark I see that you are new here. On every post there is a way to quote the post you are respnding to so we know to whom you are speaking.
At the bottom of the post you are responding too it says reply Quote " and like. Click on the Quote and you will be able to quote the post you are responding to.
Just trying to see if it works. Thanks for that. I could see the quotes but did not know how to put them up. May still not but am about to hit post comment and see.
MarkWright
23 Posts
That sounds good ... but I and millions like me did not have this problem until the ACA came along. i did read the law and called the IRS on many occasions and never got anywhere because as much as you seem to not want to believe this is happening to me and millions like me ... it is happening to me now BECAUSE of the ACA.