Ilustration : ObamaCareEmployers have been cutting back employees' hours and access to health insurance since before President Obama's healthcare law passed, according to new research released Wednesday.

The findings are potentially significant as the healthcare law is about to take full effect. The law's critics say employers will cut workers' hours to avoid offering healthcare benefits.

But the trend toward part-time work predates the Affordable Care Act, according to the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI).

EBRI said Wednesday that the share of workers who work part-time has risen steadily — from 16.7 percent in 2007 to 22.2 percent in 2011.

And part-time workers are far less likely to get health benefits through their employer than full-time workers.

A part-time worker is nearly 16 percent less likely to have employer-based healthcare coverage now than in 2007, EBRI said, while full-time employees have seen a much smaller decline.

"The recent recession has already resulted in an increased use of part-time workers," EBRI said. "At the same time, while both full-time and part-time workers have experienced drops in coverage, part-time workers have been affected disproportionately."

In other words, the trends that critics will blame on ObamaCare began before Obama was even elected.

The healthcare law could still make matters worse — several large employers have said they intend to cut full-time employees down to less than 30 hours per week. Such a move would allow businesses to avoid new penalties for not offering healthcare coverage.

source: http://thehill.com