Target, based in Minneapolis, announced plans to drop coverage of part-time employees in January.
Obamacare Rules
The Obama administration has modified the law’s rules for employer health coverage, requiring companies with 100 or more workers to cover 70 percent of their full-time employees beginning next year. They must cover 95 percent of full-timers beginning in 2016, when the mandate will be extended to companies with 50 or more workers. Those that don’t comply may be liable for fines of as much as $3,000 per worker.
The Affordable Care Act created new government-run health insurance exchanges to sell coverage to uninsured people, often with premiums discounted by federal subsidies. It disqualifies Americans for subsidies at the exchanges if they have an offer of “affordable” coverage from their employers, defined as an insurance premium less than 9.5 percent of their income.