[Michlib-l] Obamacare and Small Libraries

Wed Jul 31 10:20:15 EDT 2013

I was told that this does not take effect until 2014.  I was also told that the information was published rather quietly on the official blog, without news releases of any kind, which is one of the reasons it appears to be difficult to find a clear answer.
My information comes from a gentleman regularly helps me with insurance questions and who has a reputable insurance firm in my town.  He was very definite on this point, so I would say with confidence that the following is true:

 - Part-time Hours don't need to be cut until January 2014

I am not as clear about how the more/fewer than 50 employees rule will apply, but my impression is that the laws about providing insurance to those working 30 hours or more will apply to all of us sooner or later.  (There has been talk of doing it in phases by applying it to larger companies first, and then later applying the same rules to those with fewer than 50 employees).  This unfortunately continues to be a "gray area."

I hope this helps!  And I hope I may be forgiven for poking my nose in from another state - I still appreciate the MichLib listserve greatly and often benefit from your collective wisdom!

Hope Nobel
Director
Jackson County Public Library, WV

________________________________
 From: Ann Perrigo <aperrigo at alleganlibrary.org>
To: Andrea Estelle <aestelle at otsegolibrary.org> 
Cc: MichLibList Serve <michlib-l at mail.mcls.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, July 31, 2013 9:38 AM
Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Obamacare and Small Libraries

The gentleman who has been overseeing our insurance gave me some very clear information about the Affordable Care Act--except for this one question!  He told me he would let me know when a clear guideline was established (about the 30 hour a week issue) and I haven't heard from him yet.  Maybe I'll shoot him another message today!!

Ann @ Allegan

On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 8:43 AM, Andrea Estelle <aestelle at otsegolibrary.org> wrote:

Hi Again Everyone -
>I agree with Donna completely. I would just like to be able to plan ahead and would love it if the MLA or ALA could help small and medium libraries understand what it means for our staffing.
>
>Just from yesterday's replies I got a wide range of conflicting responses...
>
>I have been told:
>It doesn't apply to groups of less than 50
>It does apply to groups of less than 50 if you are offering some staff insurance then you need to offer it to all staff working more than 30 hours or you will be fined $3000-$5000 for every person on staff
>Part-time Hours don't need to be cut at all
>Part-time Hours need to be cut now
>Part-time Hours don't need to be cut until January 2014
>
>The attorneys we have asked tell us to call the insurance companies. Our insurance company said that nobody is an expert on this topic and it is very unclear as to how this will work out for employers and give other such vague responses. So when Donna says this topic is time-consuming and frustrating I agree completely. That is why I posted hoping someone out there had a clear answer with a valid source.
>Thanks,
>
>Andrea
>
>Andrea Estelle
>Library Director
>"Brighten The Corner Where You Are"
>
>
>
>
>        401 Dix Street, Otsego, MI 49078
>                    (269) 694-9690
>           http://www.otsegolibrary.org/
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Donna Alward [mailto:dalward at hlpl.lib.mi.us]
>Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 10:18 PM
>To: Andrea Estelle
>Cc: 'MichLibList Serve'
>Subject: Re: [Michlib-l] Obamacare and Small Libraries
>
>Brings to mind when what became PA152 was progressing through the Michigan legislature...
>
>I was given various opinions as to whether libraries were included or intended to be included in what was to become a limit on expenditures for medical health care benefits. Seeking a definitive answer was time consuming and frustrating.
>
>Wonder if the Michigan Library Association (even though Obamacare is a federal law) might, in its role as an an advocate for its members, inquire and work with the American Library Association to get some concrete answers. If like PA152, details and procedures are not exactly clear, action by both the state and national organizations may bring results in a more timely way, which would allow individual libraries time to plan.
>
>Donna J. Alward, Library Director
>Houghton Lake Public Library
>4431 W. Houghton Lake Dr.
>Houghton Lake, MI 48629
>Phone: 989.366.9230
>Fax: 989.366.0063
>URL: www.hlpl.org
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Andrea Estelle <aestelle at otsegolibrary.org>
>To: 'MichLibList Serve' <michlib-l at mail.mcls.org>
>Sent: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 17:01:06 -0400 (EDT)
>Subject: [Michlib-l] Obamacare and Small Libraries
>
>Hi Everyone,
>
>Does anyone have a clear, valid source that explains how the upcoming rules for Obamacare relate to a small library? We have 13 staff and 2 are full time with insurance.
>
>My question in regards to it is: Do the staff working over 30 hours need to be working less than 30 hours so that we don't get fined for not offering them insurance? And if so, when does the reduced hours take effect: now or in 2014?
>
>I have gotten a lot of conflicting feedback on this topic and insurance companies are calling it a "grey area" so I wondered if there is any source out there with a clear explanation.
>
>
>Thank you for your help!
>
>Andrea
>
>
>
>Andrea Estelle
>
>Library Director
>
>"Brighten The Corner Where You Are"
>
>
>
>
>
> <http://www.otsegolibrary.org/> Home
>
> 401 Dix Street, Otsego, MI 49078
>
> (269) 694-9690
>
> http://www.otsegolibrary.org/
>
>
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Michlib-l mailing list
>Michlib-l at lists.mcls.org
>http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
>

-- 
Ann Perrigo, Director
Allegan District Library
331 Hubbard Street
Allegan, MI 49010                               269 673-4625

aperrigo at alleganlibrary.org

Good times or bad--your library is here for you!

_______________________________________________
Michlib-l mailing list
Michlib-l at lists.mcls.org
http://lists.mlcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/michlib-l
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail3.mcls.org/pipermail/michlib-l/attachments/20130731/d97fac52/attachment.html>