Working for a Group of Specialized Doctors. Health Insurance? Obama Care? (area, employers)

[Stahl]

A friend of mine works for a group of specialized doctors. She is working there full time for over 6 month now and never had a problem.

She is a medical assistant and also draws blood, I guess there is a fancy word for that, heh. The medical group does not offer her any health insurance other than the one for about $600/mo.

I once visited this place and the patients are processed like on a chicken farm. The logistic is excellent. About every 5 minutes another patient is called in to one of the many staffed doctors. The place is packed with staff.

As of late she gets a hard time from her superior. Things like you can't sit down even if there is no work. Writing an email to the entire staff including doctors and pointing out there is no sitting, cell phones, etc allowed in the area my friend worked that day.

I guess the questions I have:

1) How can a place like this get away not offering any health insurance? NY state has so many laws I didn't know this is even possible for a full time position. I guess I have been lucky all these years getting health insurance. I have worked for financially far less fortunate companies than this medical group.

2) Co-workers told her that if she doesn't get the health insurance as a full time employee she will have to face a fine as dictated by the new Obama Care law??? She is making less than $14 an hour, a $600/mo is something she can not afford.

3) She is really upset about the treatment by her new superior. The way the superior acts seems childish to me at best. The above mentioned issues are only a few examples. She doesn't seem to treat anybody else like this from what I gathered. Is this a kind of harassment?

Now here is somebody who works their butt off to make ends meet and tries not to be a financial burden to society and she seems to get screwed every which way.

Thanks for reading,
Garry Stahl.

[Nancy-NJ-NY-ME?]

1) Employers don't have to offer health benefits.

2) Your friend shouldn't listen to her co-workers or worry about what rules may or may not exist. She should do her own research on the topic.

3) Your friend should grin and bear it at her current job while she looks for another.

Just my thoughts... good luck to her.