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coverage under the ACA, the effort does not <br />result in a worthwhile outcome. There are <br />also situations where employees who are <br />currently working more than 30 hours per <br />week in a city will now be eligible for health <br />care coverage by that city, which will drive <br />up city costs significantly, particularly for <br />cities using the "duty crew" concept at fire <br />stations to ensure adequate daytime <br />response Finally, there are provisions which <br />require the city to offer coverage to full-time <br />students who are already covered by their <br />parents' insurance and do not need the <br />coverage through the city, which results in <br />wasted effort. Furthermore, cities that <br />provide health insurance coverage to their <br />employees should not be subject to the <br />federal excise or so-called Cadillac Tax, <br />which will result in substantial costs to <br />Minnesota taxpayers. <br />Response: The League of Minnesota <br />Cities supports the intent of the ACA to <br />provide affordable health care coverage <br />to all Minnesota residents. However, <br />prior to implementation, Congress <br />should: <br />a) Increase the threshold for coverage of <br />employees to 40 hours per week; <br />b) Exempt employees under age 26 who <br />are covered by their parents' <br />insurance; <br />c) Exempt (from coverage requirements) <br />employees who work in recreational <br />facilities and programs owned and <br />operated by governmental entities; <br />d) Exempt elected officials from being <br />counted as "employees" for the <br />purposes of the ACA; and <br />e) Revise the provisions of the federal <br />excise "Cadillac Tax" so that it does <br />not penalize employers and instead <br />provides incentives to strengthen <br />wellness and disease prevention effort. <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2016 City Policies Page 93 <br />