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Health insurance games in Hawai'i

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  • Health insurance games in Hawai'i

    In a posting listed in another forum, fellow Hawaiithreader Mel mentioned that Hawai'i was the only state in the nation where health insurance benefits are required to be provided to full time employees by their employers.

    I've never gotten answer on this, but I've heard that some Hawai'i employers bend the rules so that they do not legally have to provide for health care benefits. Is this so? How do employers supposedly "get around" the rules and not have to provide for health insurance benefits if it is, in fact, required?

  • #2
    Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

    Wouldn't the common practice of scheduling workers for 18-hour (instead of 20-hour "half time") and 38-hour (instead of 40-hour "full time") work weeks -- and of course aggressively enforcing them, sending you home at the merest hint that you might be looking at overtime -- part of this?

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    • #3
      Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

      Ahhh..the old Walmart tactic...how do they get away with that in Hawai'i? By making their "fulltime" employees work less than 40 hours?

      Miulang
      "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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      • #4
        Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

        There used to be a common state government practice of heavily using the provision for "emergency hire" workers -- employees paid by the hour, no health insurance or other benefits, intended as a stopgap solution until you could properly fill a position by the regular civil service hiring procedure. Emergency hires were hired for 30 days at a time, and then fired and rehired a day later, over and over. I wonder if they still do that.

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        • #5
          Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

          Up here, we call them "permanent" temporary workers. They get no bennies. The Univ. of WA got in big time trouble with the Feds over this one. Now they have to make sure temp workers are in a position for no longer than 6 mo at a time (and I don't think they can be rehired for the same position). There are legally "permanent" temporary workers who have jobs that are paid for by grants. So if the grant ends and there's no additional funding, the jobs end, too. But these people get bennies just like full time permanent workers.

          Miulang
          "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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          • #6
            Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

            A state worker friend told me that in 2002, Gov. Lingle got rid of the old 30-days-at-a-time hourly "emergency hires" and replaced them with 89-days-at-a-time hourly "non-civil service appointments" instead. I don't understand the reason for the change, as they seem almost identical.

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            • #7
              Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

              Originally posted by Glen Miyashiro
              A state worker friend told me that in 2002, Gov. Lingle got rid of the old 30-days-at-a-time hourly "emergency hires" and replaced them with 89-days-at-a-time hourly "non-civil service appointments" instead. I don't understand the reason for the change, as they seem almost identical.
              Cuts down on the paperwork the State has to complete, for one thing . And notice that the appointments are for 89 days only and not a full 3 months? Could it be that having a non-civil service appointment that extended beyond the 89 days would force the State to have to cough up some bennies?

              Inquiring minds want to know...

              Miulang
              "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

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              • #8
                Re: Health insurance games in Hawai'i

                Anyone know if this law effects small business say 2-4 employees?My wife wants to move back to Puna I have never been there but we are planning a visit and doing our homework.I'm the self employed type and would usualy have 1 fulltime and 1 partime helper though not sure what type of business I would do there.
                I like to pay benifets in cash meaning the max the employee is worth and the max the company can bear my last guy was earning $12 per hour when all my competeters were paying $8 (Auto Detailing)
                Atleast in small business that law could hurt.I would have to pay a much lower pay scale and could only offer some crap minimum policy.

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