Lawyer: Foiling feds on Obamacare won’t be easy

A Las Vegas attorney, in Carson City to provide business people with insights about dealing with Obamacare, said Thursday it will be difficult to dodge terms of the new law through the use of part-time workers.“It’s easier said than done,” said Matthew Milone of the law firm of Holland and Hart, who was the main presenter at a Carson City Chamber of Commerce “Soup’s On!” luncheon at the Gold Dust West. In part, that’s because such part-timers must work less than 30 hours a week. Other ideas to dodge the act will prove tough as well, the audience was informed. Milone and a colleague were on hand for the event, which attracted 125 people and was put on under the combined sponsorship of the Carson City Chamber, the Carson Valley Chamber, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Northern Nevada Development Authority.Milone discussed various aspects of the Affordable Care Act, provided details of penalties for non-compliance, and gave an overview of the Silver State Exchange that provides options in Nevada.During his presentation, however, he emphasized that many regulations stemming from the law are still in process, so his counsel included caveats.To one question about the process of dealing with both the state exchange and the federal Internal Revenue Service, through which any penalty ultimately would be assessed, he gave this reply: “My conservative answer is to appeal to everybody.”Regarding the state exchange, he stressed that it isn’t an insurance carrier, but provides a marketplace in which carriers or cooperatives can offer options for those seeking them.“I have to say that Nevada has really been ahead of the game,” he added.He also noted an aspect of the law, originally touted as a move toward universal coverage to help swell the ranks of those with insurance coverage, is “kind of a Catch 22.” He added that because the law doesn’t cover people who aren’t documented as citizens, there will still be people using emergency rooms for health care who don’t have any insurance coverage.