Dr. Golden's Plan to Give Some Part Time Employees Employer Paid Health Insurance

I know a number of people who work for Applicable Large Employers (ALE, 50 or more employees in a year) who tell me that they work part time, but would like to work more hours for their employer in order to qualify for mandated employer paid health insurance.  However, the employer will not give them 30 or more hours a week in order to avoid giving employer paid health insurance as mandated by Obamacare. 

1. Some individuals can only find work with an ALE below the required 30 hours to qualify for employer provided health insurance.  2. Some individuals in order to provide for their family work a second or third part time job, perhaps with another ALE who also limits employee hours in order to not have to provide employer paid health insurance.  The employee is working the qualifying 30 hours per week to qualify for employer provided health insurance, but unfortunately part time for two or more employers, and gets no employer paid health insurance. 

I am proposing that in these above situations Michigan law should mandate that the ALE pay for employer provided health insurance for these employees on a pro rated basis (denominator of 30) depending on the number of hours the employee works for an ALE.  I am sure that other details would have to be worked out.  Individuals in this situation deserve fairness and justice concerning ALE who game the system in order to avoid their legal obligations under Obamacare.  

My proposal would reduce the number of individuals buying subsidized health insurance on the exchanges, and save the federal government some money.

Ted Golden, M.D.