Public Sector Reduces Part-Time Shifts To Avoid Health Law
Despite the administration's delays of the employer mandate, cities, counties and public schools have limited part-timers' work hours so they don't have to offer health insurance, reports The New York Times. Other media outlets report on targeted enrollment pitches to taxicab drivers, restaurant workers and artists, and on the GOP's probe of an Accenture contract for work on healthcare.gov.
The New York Times: Public Sector Cuts Part-Time Shifts To Bypass Insurance Law
Cities, counties, public schools and community colleges around the country have limited or reduced the work hours of part-time employees to avoid having to provide them with health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, state and local officials say (Pear, 2/20).
The Associated Press/Washington Post: Looking For The Uninsured? Just Hail A Taxi Driver
In recent weeks, the sign-up effort has evolved from a dragnet strategy to a highly targeted approach focused on people most likely to be uninsured — cab drivers, restaurant workers, artists, community college students — and where they can be found. Cab drivers have particular health care needs because of the hazard of traffic accidents and the long hours they spend sitting. Enroll America, a nonprofit involved in the enrollment campaign, targeted cab drivers in Philadelphia and Austin and plans to expand to other cities, hoping to reach a good portion of the 233,000 taxi and limo drivers in the U.S. The Chicago effort is chasing after the city’s 12,000 drivers (2/20).
NBC News: Young Latinos Trickle Into Obamacare Information Forum
Although the insurance that José Morales has been relying on has covered his health needs, he stopped by an information meeting to find out about Obamacare. The 23-year-old IT technician at Latin American Youth Center, where the forum was held, has been using DC Healthcare Alliance, a D.C. government-subsidized insurance plan, because that's what his mother has used. He said the plan even covered care for a knee injury. On Thursday, he found out the coverage doesn't meet the minimum standards of the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare after sitting down with Tania Ruiz, an in-person assistant trained to walk people through the new health care law. She signed him up for an appointment next week at La Clínica del Pueblo in D.C (Gamboa, 2/20).
The Hill: GOP Probes Accenture’s ObamaCare Contract
Republican lawmakers are looking into the Obama administration's decision to hire Accenture to finish work on ObamaCare's troubled federal enrollment site. GOP leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to the tech services company on Thursday asking for details on its HealthCare.gov contract and any related projects (Viebeck, 2/20).