Under the current IRS code, "full time" employment is an average of 30 hours a week for health insurance qualification. H.R. 30, which passed the House of Representatives this week changes that status for workers who work 36 hour weeks. Full time for insurance qualification will now be those who work 40 hours in a work week. A link to the bill is below.
SEC. 2. REPEAL OF 30-HOUR THRESHOLD FOR CLASSIFICATION AS FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE FOR PURPOSES OF THE EMPLOYER MANDATE IN THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND REPLACEMENT WITH 40 HOURS.
Happened to me. I was float pool, working a minimum of 36 hours a week in a small, rural, county-owned 84 bed facility. I didn't want or need the health benefits (because Tricare). Thanks to ACA, my hours became restricted to two 12 hour shifts a week. It isn't just about whether or not the employer has to offer health insurance. There is also the issue of the FTE ratio (full time equivalent), an issue which is out of my lane and above my pay grade.
(edited to add...)
And this was well BEFORE Republicans took the Senate, which is not to say that I defend anything about the party as a whole, but only to point out that there is plenty of blame to be mixed in and smeared around in the muckraking on both sides of the aisle.
I am now with a larger urban facility that is part of a large healthcare corporation. Our float pool nurses get as many hours as they want. I am guessing this is because of the size of the corporation and the fact that we seem to always have FT vacancies.
Specializes in Management, Med/Surg, Clinical Trainer.
I would very much like to strike up more of a conversation around this subject. I am writing an Issue Paper about this...
Yes, the Republicans are pushing for the ACA to change the definition of full time from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. There have been many documented cases of employers reducing their employees' hours to
But couldn't those same employers raise the
I would wonder if moving more of the
For large companies I do not see this impacting them much. Many businesses use their benefit package as a way to compete with other companies.
40 hours per week has been a legal standard FT for a long time, anything less was considered PT. However many businesses made a decision to change that on their own, so they could attract staff. Healthcare led the way, by offering benefits at 36 hours, then 32 and now at 30 hours. Many other companies made that choice as well.
What the ACA did was mandate a change in a work rule, that many companies that could afford it were already doing it. The downside is that it will also make those who cannot afford it comply as well.
I do anticipate businesses letting their employees work more than 30 hours. Perhaps not the same day the definition is changed, but very shortly after.
Perhaps I poorly worded my first response. My concern is that, if we do bump this magic number from 30 to 40 hours, we will see a vast number of businesses cut employee hours to avoid continuing to provide health insurance to their staff. The precedent was set when the number was at 30...small businesses cutting employee hours to avoid the employer mandate. What's to say that businesses won't cut the employee's shift to 7.5 hours per day (For those businesses that aren't open 24/7)?
My greatest concern is for the field of nursing, including aides. Many of us work full time by completing three 12-hour shifts. No one is going to argue that this is full time, but that number is less than 40. Which means that various facilities might not provide their FTE staff with health insurance because they're not mandated.... I believe that it is important to allow for an amendment in the Bill to have those working these kinds of shifts to also be provided health insurance.
(I'm at work currently, sorry if this post is disjointed)
Under the current IRS code, "full time" employment is an average of 30 hours a week for health insurance qualification. H.R. 30, which passed the House of Representatives this week changes that status for workers who work 36 hour weeks. Full time for insurance qualification will now be those who work 40 hours in a work week. A link to the bill is below.
TLSpaz, ASN, RN
171 Posts
Happened to me. I was float pool, working a minimum of 36 hours a week in a small, rural, county-owned 84 bed facility. I didn't want or need the health benefits (because Tricare). Thanks to ACA, my hours became restricted to two 12 hour shifts a week. It isn't just about whether or not the employer has to offer health insurance. There is also the issue of the FTE ratio (full time equivalent), an issue which is out of my lane and above my pay grade.
(edited to add...)
And this was well BEFORE Republicans took the Senate, which is not to say that I defend anything about the party as a whole, but only to point out that there is plenty of blame to be mixed in and smeared around in the muckraking on both sides of the aisle.
I am now with a larger urban facility that is part of a large healthcare corporation. Our float pool nurses get as many hours as they want. I am guessing this is because of the size of the corporation and the fact that we seem to always have FT vacancies.