Volunteer firefighters: I think this consequence of Obamacare actually is unintended
Obamacare was pushed through Congress at high speed, without much debate and without the usual haggling. The reason was that, like thieves in a hurry to grab everything and get out safely, Democrats were eager to move it through while they still had the time and momentum to succeed.
They figured they’d iron out any problems later, and in the meantime would try to sell the Act to a reluctant public. Spinning and outright lying were delaying tactics until the longed-for day when Obamacare would be implemented and people would love it—that is, enough people would love it, and it would become the new normal, assuring Democrats of a built-in constituency of grateful recipients fearful that a vote for any Republican would do away with their new-found benefits.
And maybe it will end up working out just like that.
But speed had some drawbacks. The bill was so long and so convoluted, its effects so manifold and various, that some of the consequences were bound to hurt groups the Democrats didn’t want to hurt. One such group, of course, was unions. But that was taken care of by a handy—if unconstitutional, but who cares except a few conservatives?—waiver.
Maybe this new wrinkle will ultimately be handled in a similar manner. But in the meantime, marvel at the wonder of it all:
The U.S. Department of Labor takes the term ‘volunteer’ literally, but the IRS says volunteer firefighters are technically employees if they’re on the job more than 30 hours per week, making them subject to Obamacare’s employee-mandate rules…
Since the Obamacare law doesn’t specifically carve out an exemption for them, fire departments where 50 or more people work ”“ either as volunteers or officially as employees ”“ are expected to provide health insurance for every one of them.
In towns with more than one volunteer fire department, all the staffers will likely be lumped together for tax purposes, pushing many municipalities above the 50-worker threshold.
That could cost departments of life-savers hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Those that dump their volunteers into the federal insurance exchanges would still have to pay an annual $2,000 fine for each ’employee’ after the first 30.
“I can tell you right now we can’t afford it,” East Derry, Pennsylvania Fire Company Chief Edward Mann told the Patriot-News. “While a volunteer fire department may not have a payroll, the rest of it isn’t free. The only part that is free is the labor.”
The article goes on to mention that 71% of America’s fire departments are volunteer, while another 16% are mostly volunteer. Many would be in big, big trouble because of Obamacare.
I predict another waiver.
Obamacare is well on its way to creating a more stratified system of health insurance than existed before, and has already created dangerous precedents for the extension of unchecked executive power. Nice.
Some people laughed at the notion that the Left were anything but a minor extremist minority that nobody with serious power in the US ever paid attention to.
Wonder if they are laughing about it now.
Either another waiver or, perhaps, simply a convenient ignoring of the law.
I’m wondering if Obamacare (oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to use such a racist term), er I mean the “Affordable Healthcare Act” will become like the US highway speed limit of 55. Posted everywhere in the 1970s; but broken by most and randomly enforced.
Granted Obamacare will do more damage to our country than the lower speed limit ever did.
This is an example of the fractal nature of bureaucratic expansion into the civil space.
They’re simply replicating on a smaller scale the over-reach that has been established on high.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I was under the impression that those who spend less than 30 hours a week on the job are under the Obamacare radar- at least as regards that particular organization.
As I could see the local volunteer fire department building from childhood bedroom, I am not unaware of the existence of VFDs. Based on the experience with my hometown’s VFD, I very much doubt there are many fire volunteers who spend 30 hours a week at the job.
Once again, the UK’s Daily Mail covers US news that US papers apparently do not cover.
This doesn’t sound right. In my town the volunteer fire company is organized, I believe, like a club or fraternal organization. It is not a part of the town government. Usually, the volunteer departments in a town/township are totally separate organizations – so I don’t see how they could be lumped together. Also, most of our volunteers already have insurance through their regular jobs, I believe.
Away from the fog of controversey…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV7dDSgbaQ0
These people are simultaneously stupid, wickedly dictatorial, and lost in a convoluted mental wilderness of their own creation.
Tom Murin and Gringo:
The relevant quote from the article is this, from a letter that Republican Rep. Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania sent to the IRS:
And the IRS is running Obamacare…
It is interesting that this law is so fraught with intentional abuse that the unintentional kind is an outlier.
We have entered the era of nuances to be interpreted by executive order. It is an era where congress and the courts can be dismissed, if not disbanded, by the stroke of the pen of the executive.
Reagan: Its just that they know so much that isn’t so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3hY1eagq88
The two co-workers that I know that are volunteer firemen work full time at their paying job. I am sure they are nowhere close to thirty hours per week as volunteers. As long as time spent carrying a pager does not count toward the thirty hours.
If service industry companies and a host of other companies can figure out how to hold hours per employee under thirty hours per week then our volunteer fire departments can also.
I doubt a police state wants volunteers. Too much out of control farm animals running around. Coercion is a better leash to control the masses. That and having neighbors spy on their family and friends.
“And the IRS is running Obamacare…”
I’ve been calling for the abolition of the IRS for decades. The longer you leave it around, the worse it gets.
I wonder if all these waivers and exemptions and ignoring of black letter law is enough for Roberts to decide ObamaCare is unconstitutional.
I also wonder if he has had second thoughts on his last decision on ObamaCare.
A hydra can’t be abolished just because people want it. They need a 1. hero and 2. power to do it.
The US has neither.