Mentioned are Mall of America, Forever 21, Trader Joe’s and Home Depot.
The trend has caused fears among low-paid workers living on the breadline that they will be hit twice – by having their hours and thus earnings cut and by having to pay more for healthcare. Based on what she said is happening in the stores around her, Samuels is concerned she too will have her hours cut and with it her eligibility for company healthcare under the ACA.
“It’s a really scary situation,” said Samuels, who earns $9.25 an hour and is trying to reduce a student loan debt of close to $50,000. She currently receives subsidised healthcare through her university, but it runs out next year, when she had hoped her employer healthcare would kick in.
“Technically, I should be eligible,” she said. “But at least 20 stores around me have cut hours. I live paycheck to paycheck. I have credit card debts. It’s a balancing act. I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford healthcare.”
As one of the nation’s lowest-paid workers, with little job security, Samuels is not alone in her fears that she may be worse off when the ACA takes full effect.
There’s a booming business for a company that handles employee’s schedules such that they can work multiple jobs without conflict.
Not mentioned here is some employees with be affected by the “family glitch”. If their spouse’s company offers family coverage, as long as it’s deemed affordable for ONLY the spouse, the remaining family members are NOT eligible for a premium subsidy. This is no problem if the cost of adding family members is reasonable but in many cases it is not.
