Sign ups for the Affordable Care Act start in a week, and the program is leading to changes in the way employers handle health coverage.

Steve Julian: Business analyst Mark Lacter, what's the most noticeable adjustment?

Mark Lacter: Steve, once you get beyond the squabbling over efforts to defund the new law, what's happening is quite remarkable: businesses are finding new ways to administer and pay for coverage - and some would say it's long overdue.  One interesting example: the grocery chain Trader Joe's, which is based in Monrovia, employs over 20,000 people, and shells out millions of dollars a year in helping provide its people with health insurance.  Well, Trader Joe's has decided to end coverage for part-timers working fewer than 30 hours a week - under the new law businesses are not obligated to provide benefits to employees who work less than that amount.  However, the company is giving those people $500 to go towards the purchase of premiums at the new public exchanges.  And that, along with the tax credits available, could make the new arrangement cost about the same or even cheaper than the current health care package.

Julian: How did TJ's explain this to its employees?

Lacter: The company cited the example of an employee with one child who makes $18 an hour and works 25 hours a week.  Under the old system, she pays $166 a month for coverage; under the new system, she can get a nearly identical plan for $70 a month.  Now, there are cases in which workers will end up paying more - usually it involves having a family member who makes more money, but who doesn't have access to coverage (good example would be an independent contractor or freelancer).  By the way, other companies - including the drug store chain Walgreen's - are also moving part-timers to the public market, and offering some sort of a subsidy.

Julian: I imagine not all companies are being as conscientious...

Lacter: No.  We've seen a number of corporations cut worker hours and not offer a supplemental payment.  Steve, it's worth remembering that administering health insurance is something that businesses fell into quite by accident 60 years or so ago - premiums cost next to nothing at the time, and it was seen as way of attracting workers without having to jack up wages.  The arrangement became more attractive over the years because of certain tax benefits.  But, it's far from ideal - workers move from job to job more often than they used to, and not all businesses are capable of handling the extra costs, especially small businesses.

Julian: Doesn't L.A. have a higher percentage of uninsured than elsewhere?

Lacter: Considerably higher - the Census Bureau show that 21 percent did not have coverage in 2012, which is higher than the overall national number.  Now, there are a bunch of reasons for this: L.A. has a large percentage of households that simply can't afford health insurance or don't have access to government programs, among them undocumented immigrants.  You also have big numbers of people who are self-employed and don't get covered - we're talking about freelancers or consultants of some sort.

Julian: …Or, they work for small businesses whose owners either can't afford, or don't want to provide coverage…

Lacter: That's right - the new law only requires businesses with more than 50 full-time workers to offer health insurance, and a lot of small businesses don't meet that threshold.  The Census Bureau says that in the L.A. area, one in four people with jobs do not have health insurance - and, by the way, there's been a drop-off both in the percentage of businesses in California that offer coverage.

Julian: Sounds dire.  Who picks up the cost?

Lacter: Well, we all do in one way or another - and that, of course, is the problem.  What the Affordable Care Act offers is a start in getting some of the uninsured onto the rolls.  Clearly, it's an imperfect solution that will require all sorts of adjustments, and even though everyone and their uncle seems to have formed a definitive opinion about the new law, it's going to be years before there's any real sense of how it's going.  And, let's remember, signing up for these programs is not some political act.  It's just a way for people to get health insurance for themselves and their families.

Mark Lacter writes for Los Angeles Magazine and pens the business blog at LA Observed.com.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Great Plains Holdings Inc. will acquire 51 percent of Bonjoe Gourmet Chips LLC, as well as have to option to acquire another 20 percent interest in the gourmet chip maker.

Joe Passmore, University of Ulster gave a talk entitled "Building Relationships Online: ... the road ahead or the road less travelled by?".

Joe Nicholls is a Principal Consultant in the Strategy and Enablement Group; part of the Information Services Directorate at Cardiff University. He has over 20 years experience in Higher Education, with a background in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction, Learning Technologies and Web related services. His current work focuses on identifying technologies and methodologies that can be employed to improve the awareness, access to, and use of University services. He is particularly interested in the process of gathering and managing service requirements, the educational role of service providers and the potential of enterprise architecture as an approach to enabling organisational change. Joe gave a plenary talk entitled "Servicing 'Core' and 'Chore': A framework for understanding a Modern IT Working Environment" with David Harrison.

President Joe Biden welcomed President-elect Donald Trump back to the White House on Wednesday and congratulated him on his landslide victory. 

The post Joe Biden Welcomes Donald Trump Back to White House, Congratulates Him on Victory appeared first on Breitbart.

The Oak Ridge Boys member Joe Bonsall's latest and final book 'I See Myself: Musings and Memories of a Blessed Life' is available

Joey Logano responded to critics of his NASCAR Cup Series Championship win with, "It's a bunch of bull----" and discussed the NASCAR playoff structure.

FOX Sports' Joel Klatt joins Colin Cowherd to discuss why Deion Sanders deserves Coach of the Year.

Liberals keep claiming that Joe Biden’s economy is doing wonderfully, yet inflation continues to skyrocket, hitting the middle and lower classes particularly hard. By the end of October, for instance, inflation jumped again with the Consumer Price Index increasing 0.2 percent, according to Wednesday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Per CNBC: Inflation perked […]

The post Inflation Still Skyrocketing Under Joe Biden’s ‘Great’ Economy appeared first on The Lid.

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Saturday at the APEC summit in Peru, in what will likely be their last encounter before Donald Trump returns to the White House, US officials said.

Madaxweynaha la doortay ee Mareykanka Donald Trump iyo Madaxweyne Joe Biden ayaa is gacan qaaday iyaga…

The post Joe Biden oo aqalka cad ku soo dhaweeyey Donald Trump appeared first on Horseed Media.

Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal tore into Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid Tuesday night after Embiid made his season debut against the New York Knicks.

In a brief meeting, the two leaders assured the nation of a peaceful transition of power on January 20, 2025.

President-elect Donald Trump made his victorious return to Washington on Wednesday, meeting with jubilant House Republicans and then conferring with President Biden in the Oval Office, where they mutually pledged a smooth transfer of power after a bitter election in which they repeatedly disparaged each other.

Re-release; Dredge, L A. Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Geoscience Map 442, 2022, 1 sheet, https://doi.org/10.4095/329417
<a href="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_329417.jpg"><img src="https://geoscan.nrcan.gc.ca/images/geoscan/gid_329417.jpg" title="Geological Survey of Canada, Canadian Geoscience Map 442, 2022, 1 sheet, https://doi.org/10.4095/329417" height="150" border="1" /></a>

Dennis Joell has achieved a significant victory on the International Bowling stage, claiming the title at the 2024 Amateur Bowlers Tour Fall Nationals in Las Vegas. Joell delivered a commanding performance in the final match, defeating American Rick Mayber with a score of 247 – 200 to secure the championship. Related Stories Bowling: Under, Astronauts, […]

1. Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet at White House to discuss transition of presidential power  ABC News
2. ‘WELCOME BACK’: White House history as Biden congratulates Trump  news.com.au
3. Donald Trump makes a victor's return to Washington and pledges a smooth transition of power  9News
4. Joe Biden welcomes back Donald Trump to the White House: 9News Latest Stories Season 2024, Short Video  9Now

1. Kosten energie-eiland in Noordzee lopen op tot 630 miljoen euro per jaar  De Tijd
2. Prijsstijging energie-eiland voor kust kan huishoudens jaarlijks "20 euro" extra kosten  VRT.be
3. Kamerleden willen uitstel van miljardencontract voor energie-eiland  De Standaard
4. Kamerleden willen uitstel voor toewijzing duur contract energie-eiland  Knack.be
5. Van der Straeten: “Voorbarig om stekker uit energie-eiland te trekken”  Gazet van Antwerpen

Peperdure schoenenroof: ex-werkneemster Louboutin zou voor 1,5 miljoen euro artikelen illegaal hebben verkocht  Het Laatste Nieuws

Name: Scandanavian Swimmers Brand: Trader Joe’s Place Purchased: Trader Joe’s (Silver Lake) Price: $2.99 Size: 14 ounces Calories per ounce: 107 Type: Jelly Rating: 7 out of 10

It is adorable, practical, and so green. READ MORE...

1. Donald Trump meets Joe Biden in White House; both pledge smooth transition  The Hindu
2. Power Transition Will Be "As Smooth As You Can Get", Says Trump  NDTV
3. US President Biden meets President-elect Donald Trump at White House, leaders vow smooth transition of power  The Financial Express
4. Joe and Donald warm up by the White House fireplace  The Times of India
5. Biden greets Trump with handshake, both pledge smooth transition  Moneycontrol

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. net - Simplyukgadgets. gadgets with SearchTwice. Here's one to the kid that never finishes anything! ...

The former vice president won the top job, but undoing Trumps discordant legacy will not be easy.

Many of the elements of Trumps biggest legislative achievement--the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017--are set to expire in the next few years. To name two: the research and development tax credit, which in 2022 requires businesses to amortize expenses over five years rather than doing so immediately, as is the current case. And full expensing for short-term business investments will begin phasing out in 2023.

Peter Costello and Joe Aston on NSW becoming a massive levered hedge fund... https://ift.tt/3jFTLQQ

Joe Browns Fashion Shopping

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After close to 2000 podcast episodes, Joe Saul-Sehy knows a thing or two about growing an audience.  In fact, his finance podcast, Stacking Benjamins, has amassed a massive following of 180k listeners, with shows averaging around 40k listens/episode. Joe’s no…

The post How Joe Saul-Sehy Grew His Financial Podcast to 180k Listeners appeared first on Niche Pursuits.

Frederica introduces us to the longtime pastor of one of our nation's first intentionally pan-Orthodox churches—St. Antony's Antiochian Orthodox Church in Bergenfield, New Jersey.

With restrictions being what they were, and fears continuing as they are, the faithful of St Joseph/Houston discovered something over the past year.

Fr. John Oliver explores the desire to change one's life.

A brief history of the coffee hour, with some suggestions about how best to use the time as you sip your morning brew!

What happens when someone puts a gun to your head and you don't believe in Jesus?

US former vice president has said restrictions on dissent, such as preventing peaceful protests, weaken democracy.

I imagine the past few weeks have been stressful for you and Dr. Jill. I noticed that on election day, she was dressed in red - not blue. Was her Freudian slip showing?

As you pack up your things, Joe and Kamala, I just wanted to take the time to thank you for taking such good care of middle- and lower-middle-class Americans these past four years.

Joey Gallo's $8 million mutual option was declined by the Washington Nationals on Sunday, making the first baseman/outfielder a free agent.

Joel Embiid is expected to play this week for the Philadelphia 76ers - barring another setback, and there is always that chance with the 7-footer - after he won Olympic gold, signed a contract extension, slogged through a knee injury, was the root of two NBA investigations, scuffled with a columnist and was hit with a technical foul for waving a towel from the bench.

Joel Embiid stuck around for extra work after shootaround. The 7-footer who has yet to officially step on the court for the Philadelphia 76ers this season was in no rush to finish his drills.

"That's the difference between what we do here and what you do around the world."

The post Joe Mazzulla explains what he would change about the NBA Cup  appeared first on Boston.com.

This marks the second time this year that Boston sports has been featured as a clue on "Jeopardy!".

The post Joe Mazzulla’s love of ‘The Town’ lands him on ‘Jeopardy!’ as a clue  appeared first on Boston.com.

"Castiglione (Acoustic Demo)" is now available for streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

The post Local band releases song honoring former Red Sox announcer Joe Castiglione appeared first on Boston.com.

“Bailey Zappe is not gonna be on that team by the end of training camp.”

The post Rob Gronkowski says Bailey Zappe is taking away reps from Drake Maye, Joe Milton appeared first on Boston.com.

For the chief executive who has made an outstanding contribution to their organisation, or the wider sector, during their first two years in post

Washington — Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has announced his opposition to Julie Su’s nomination for labor secretary.

Washington — Former OSHA administrator David Michaels is among three new members named to President-elect Joe Biden’s Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board, Biden’s transition team announced in a Nov. 28 press release.