'Blackfish' star on tell-all book's shocking claims about Seaworld and its legal threats against him

SeaWorld is about to take another hit as hard as the force of a 5,000-pound orca, as a damning new tell-all book hits shelves, claiming the company is an evil, money-grubbing corporation.

In the new book, "Beneath the Surface: Killer Whales, SeaWorld, and the Truth Beyond 'Blackfish'" former Orca trainer John Hargrove reveals explosive details of alleged physical and mental abuse that killer whales were forced to endure in captivity. Those conditions, Hargrove said, led to brutal and often fatal attacks by killer whales on their trainers, which were swept under the company's rug. Making matters worse, SeaWorld has allegedly silenced trainers who sued the company by dragging out court cases, then promising money if they agreed to a gag-order.

"[Director] Gabriela Cowperthwaite did such a great job with 'Blackfish,'" Hargrove told TheWrap, "but she only had 83 minutes and what I did with my book was I took my 14-year career and I gave all the high points and all the low points. I did not set out to do a tell-all book but that's what happened."

The book's release comes within the same week that a class-action lawsuit was filed against SeaWorld by customers who claim they would have never set foot in the company's theme parks had they known the deplorable conditions under which the whales were being kept. Another lawsuit filed in September 2014 claims SeaWorld Entertainment misled investors early on when it denied that fallout from the Magnolia-CNN Films documentary "Blackfish" had anything to do with decreasing attendance.

TheWrap spoke with Hargrove about his book "Beneath the Surface," the theme park chain's repeated threats against him and what really happened during his 14 years training 20 killer whales.

TheWrap: Are you hoping the book will finally send the company packing?
John Hargrove: Well, the fact I'm sure of is that last year they lost $80 million in revenue and they lost a million visitors.

SeaWorld operates 11 parks with more 89,000 sea animals. The company reported a slump in attendance was the main reason for a 6 percent drop in revenue, to nearly $1.4 billion in 2014. Sounds like they're not too worried. Or at least that's how they're spinning it. Are you angry that even though "Blackfish" was a huge success, it didn't manage to close down SeaWorld parks?
Well, I think it's just going to gain momentum and you're going to see more and more of it now because there is a class-action lawsuit against SeaWorld as of [Wednesday] morning. Within hours, there were thousands of people that had already signed that class action case. People saying they had gone out and had platinum passes and spent thousands of dollars over the last few years. And, if they had known what was in "Blackfish," or John Hargrove's book, they would not have gone. So they want their money back.

Your book was named in the lawsuit and SeaWorld even threatened you, claiming you signed a non-disclosure agreement. Did you?
My book was one of the resources named in the lawsuit. People basically said they would have not have taken their children or spent the amount of money that they spent had they known what was in my book. So now, Sea World has issued a statement, that you know, [the lawsuit] is a publicity stunt to coincide with the release of John Hargrove's book, that I was just trying to gain more publicity, which is so stupid because by issuing that PR statement, that's exactly what happened. There was a very poorly-written employment agreement that I signed in 2008 when we were owned by Anheuser-Busch, which is a beer company, mostly a non-compete agreement for those working in beer companies to not give away trade secrets. Confidentiality agreements have to be very specifically tailored. They have to give you a specific timetable, like 3 years or one year, and they also have to be very specific to what's considered confidential and what is not. You can't just be broad. This one said everything we learned or did was confidential and it never ends so, even if we quit, we're not allowed to speak about any of it for the rest of our lives. No judge in the country would enforce that.

Did they threaten you with a lawsuit?
They sent a total of three threatening legal letters. I had Macmillan [Publishers] attorneys looking at it and I also hired my own law firm to rep me and they are a powerhouse firm. They basically told them I had a first amendment right to free speech and they cannot silence me. The last threatening letter I got form them was probably six weeks ago. They even threatened to file an injunction to stop my book.

Is it true TheWrap was named in one of those letters?
At this point they've already been sued for investor fraud for not revealing the harmful effect that "Blackfish" had on their company. They're still telling investors, 'Oh no, it hasn't impacted our business at all.' In fact it did impact their business and they hid that's why there's this Federal lawsuit against them for investor fraud. Part of the case is that investors are saying that SeaWorld was not honest about the risks that trainers are under when they're interacting with killer whales. Which is why this letter is so stupid because they're telling me flat out, 'You better not talk about those incidents.' They're not saying those incidents didn't happen they're saying, 'you gave this quote to TheWrap and that implies that you plan on talking about it. And if you talk about it, you're going to be invitation of a confidentiality agreement.'"

You claim the company is "soulless." Can you elaborate?
Trainers sued SeaWorld because they were nearly killed by whales and the end result was SeaWorld would force them into a settlement and gag ordered every single trainer. They tried to threaten me and scare me so I wouldn't write the book. This is very predictable behavior by SeaWorld. They're bullies, but the difference is this time I'm the first trainer that they're not shutting up.

Did they try and offer you money?
No. Filmmakers kept my participation in "Blackfish" a secret until the day it premiered at Sundance. So, I think the reason why they didn't try to pay me off is because by that point I was already so out there publically saying everything that they have done, it was too late.

You tell a horrific story about a trainer who was forced to walk to an ambulance 200 yards away after an orca broke her neck because SeaWorld didn't want visitors to know what had happened. Tell me about that.
Joanne Webber broke her neck during the show. They made Joanne get out of the pool by herself and didn't even try to help her because they didn't want to draw attention to her being hurt then they made her walk on her own with a broken neck to the trainer offices. Then, they tried to make her take off her wetsuit because they did not want the paramedics to cut it off but. Because she had a broken neck she could not take the wetsuit off and SeaWorld personnel basically took the suit off and made her put on regular clothes, all in an effort to save money. Making things worse, instead of allowing the ambulance to drive up to 'Shamu' stadium, they did not want people to see the ambulance and draw any attention to it, so they made her walk on her own I think 200 yards to the waiting ambulance, which was out of sight to the public. So she sued for negligence and she settled and she was gag ordered.

2015 TheWrap news inc. All rights reserved.

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Fenway Remy's: Play ball

Jerry Remy's Sports Bar & Grill, the Fenway restaurant that abruptly closed earlier this month, is slated to reopen under new ownership and management on April 13 — the day of the Red Sox home opener against the Washington Nationals at Fenway Park.

The Boston-based Cronin Group is buying the restaurant from Red Sox Nation president and NESN color analyst Jerry Remy and his partners, founder Jon Cronin confirmed yesterday.

Cronin, who had been an investor in the restaurant, owns and operates the Jerry Remy's location in the Seaport District under a licensing agreement with Remy. The Fenway restaurant also will operate under a licensing agreement.

"It's a good area with a lot of development going on, so we see big potential there for a nice restaurant," Cronin said. "We're going to do a quick makeover, implement a whole new made-from-scratch menu and upgrade the food and beverage offerings."

Cronin hopes to sign a new lease with the building's owner, a Boston Red Sox affiliate, next week. He is also applying to have the restaurant's liquor license transferred to his company.

Remy's namesake restaurant closed without warning March 3, and Remy and his primary partner, John O'Rourke, have been silent about what happened.

Reached yesterday, Remy still wouldn't talk about why it closed, but said he "couldn't be more ecstatic" that Cronin is taking over.

"We feel like it's going to be in very stable hands now that he's going to be the owner and operator," Remy said. "John was our major investor, and I'm glad it is in his hands. We're pleased that it turned out the way it did."

Jerry Remy's Sports Bar & Grill opened in the shadow of Fenway Park in March 2010 after a $5 million build-out. A large roof deck was later added.

There's a lot of work before it reopens, including hiring 200 employees, according to Cronin, who encouraged former employees to apply. The revamped menu will include business lunch options for small and large groups.

The Cronin Group owns a string of other restaurant/bars in Boston, including Tia's Boston, Market, the Atlantic Beer Garden and Whiskey Priest in the Seaport District, and the Playwright and Boston Beer Garden in South Boston. It also owns Temazcal Tequila Cantinas in the Seaport District and Lynnfield, and Tony C's Sports Bar & Grill in Somerville and Burlington.

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Home Showcase: This colonial has drive-in appeal

Less than an hour's drive from Boston, this updated contemporary colonial in Medway looks unusual at first, with an attached, two-car garage that juts out of the front, but the inside is well lit and spacious with hardwood floors, four bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms.

"It's a bright, welcoming home with a floor plan that is wonderful for entertaining, as well as for raising children," said broker Paul Yorkis of Patriot Real Estate in Medway.

Built in 1988 on 1.11 fenced-in acres on a quiet suburban street, the first floor includes a living room with a wood-burning fireplace, a dining room, and a remodeled kitchen with an informal dining area. There is plenty of cabinet space in the kitchen, along with granite countertops, an island, a pantry, a five-burner Bosch stove and a hood, and stainless steel appliances, including a microwave, a combination oven-confection oven, and a Bosch refrigerator.

A laundry area is off the kitchen, which leads to a large family room with a cathedral ceiling, exposed beams, skylights, a wood-burning fireplace and access to the garage. A slate patio with a fire pit can be accessed from both the family room and the kitchen. Off the family room, is a half bath and a hallway with ample closet space.

Upstairs, each of the four bedrooms has recessed lighting, a ceiling fan and closet space. The master bedroom has a walk-in closet and a full bath with a jacuzzi/soaking tub and a shower. A second full bath upstairs has a tub and shower and a double vanity with a granite top. In the hallway is a linen closet.

The finished basement is carpeted and has a half bath and two rooms, one of which has a door to the yard. There are also two mechanical rooms in the basement.

The house has central air conditioning and four heating zones: three oil and one electric.

HOME SHOWCASE

• Address: 14 Rockwood Road
• Bedrooms: Four
• Bathrooms: Two full and two half
• List price: $629,900
• Square feet: 3,128
• Price per square foot: $201.37
• Annual taxes: $9,870 in 2014
• Location: About 20 minutes to the Norfolk commuter rail station if you drive to Medway Middle School, where you can park for free and take the shuttle bus
• Built: In 1988
• Broker: Paul Yorkis of Patriot Real Estate at (508) 533-4321

THE APPRAISAL

Pros:

• Ample storage space
• Modern kitchen
• Fenced-in yard

Cons:

• Suburban location, driving distance to shops

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In NYC, an unusual task force fights home-as-hotel rentals

NEW YORK — From an office by the Brooklyn Bridge, a specialized team of investigators tackles a fast-growing concern in the nation's biggest city: apartments being rented like hotel rooms.

Building and fire inspectors, police, lawyers, city tax specialists and others combine door-knocking, digital sleuthing and even video surveillance in an uncommon approach to an issue bubbling up around the country.

New York's investigators have cited over 7,000 fire and building code violations, shut down over 200 short-term apartments and sued several operators — ending an additional 250 short-term rentals — over the last nine years, according to the Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement. With Airbnb and other websites sparking a short-term rental boom, some lawmakers now want to triple the illegal-hotel investigation staff and have it go beyond answering complaints to scour the web for suspect listings.

"The problem has skyrocketed in the past few years," and enforcement must keep pace, says City Council Housing and Buildings Committee Chairman Jumaane Williams.

But some proprietors have called the city's tactics heavy-handed. Airbnb says New York unfairly lumps occasional users in with hotel-scale operators, although officials say enforcement focuses on big players.

"It can get overzealous," says Airbnb public policy head David Hantman, who wants New York laws changed to exempt people renting out their own homes and "target the truly bad actors."

It's largely illegal in New York to rent entire apartments for under 30 days, though it can be OK to rent out spare rooms if a resident also stays home.

Yet vacation rental sites boast many apartments. The city fielded 1,150 illegal-hotel complaints last year, up 62 percent from 2013.

Hosts say "home sharing" helps them pay bills and makes traveling funkier and cheaper. But city officials note that guests generally don't get fire sprinklers and other safety features required in hotels, and residents contend with rotating casts of strangers.

"You get on the elevator, and you don't even know who's going to get on," says Audrey Smaltz, a fashion-industry entrepreneur whose Manhattan apartment building has been used as a $500-a-night hotel, according to a city lawsuit. "I don't feel safe."

Countless travelers have learned the front-door entry code, and a stranger wandered onto the roof and stared at Smaltz through her penthouse terrace window one night last fall, she said.

There are no short-term rentals in the building now, the owner said in court papers.

Many cities are addressing, and sometimes allowing, short-term vacation rentals. San Francisco is now crafting rules permitting some home-as-hotel stays and determining enforcement procedures. In Chicago, a business and consumer department handles unlicensed vacation rental complaints and can issue fines.

New York, meanwhile, uses its multi-agency Mayor's Office for Special Enforcement.

Investigations generally start with a police officer, fire inspector and building inspector knocking on doors and asking denizens whether they live there, acting director Elan Parra says. When investigators find a paying visitor, they'll request booking details.

That can lead to violation notices, fines, follow-up inspections and evacuations, if inspectors declare a serious safety threat.

The consequences might not end there. Using software to cross-reference information, investigators look for patterns in complaints, listings, lessees, building owners, managers, companies or other factors that might point to a multiple-apartment operation and warrant not just administrative fines but a lawsuit for damages. Occasionally, investigators will stake out a building with video cameras, Parra said.

"We focus on the places where people are complaining, where there are clearly presented concerns and issues. ... We want to make sure that we're allocating our resources to getting and eradicating the absolute worst operators" and safety risks, Parra said. This month, his office shut down three Brooklyn dwellings it said were bunk-bed-stuffed, fire-hazard hostels.

Meanwhile, City Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal and several colleagues called for expanding the staff from 11 to about 36. Councilman Ben Kallos wants the city to post publicly how illegal-hotel complaints are resolved.

But some short-term rental proponents say the office has gone overboard.

Airbnb has spotlighted a Manhattan man who faced $2,400 in fines after renting his room to a tourist, although his roommate stayed in the apartment throughout. A city board ultimately agreed that was legal and nixed the fine.

Another man sued the city over an illegal-hotel inspection, saying investigators intimidated guests, grabbed him by the neck and pushed him. The city denied his claims and settled for what he says was $2,000; the city couldn't immediately confirm the amount.

The man, Mina Guirguis, says he started renting rooms in his Manhattan loft to visiting international students after he and his wife both lost jobs amid the 2009 recession. They soon expanded to a second loft and another whole building they rented. Guirguis says he was unclear on whether the short-term rental laws applied to his setup.

Now, Guirguis and his wife have been booted from the buildings, and the city sued them this fall.

"We have experienced something I could never even imagine could happen in the United States," Guirguis says. "There is something that needs to be stopped."

But the city may just be getting started.

"You'll see more enforcement as we go along," Mayor Bill de Blasio said this fall.

___

Reach Jennifer Peltz on Twitter: @jennpeltz.

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Lawmakers to debate eliminating film tax credit

Lawmakers will hold what promises to be a heated and contentious hearing next week to discuss eliminating the film tax credit in favor of expanding the earned income tax credit — a move officials say would add more than $100 million to the state's economy 
every year.

"We can put more money in the hands of our working families and just by doing that we can create more jobs than the film tax credit delivers," said Paul McMorrow, a spokesman for the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. "That's a really simple choice."

Gov. Charlie Baker's budget proposes doubling the state's earned income tax credit to 30 percent of the federal credit. To offset the cost of the tax break for families, Baker would phase out the $80 million film tax credit.

McMorrow said a Department of Revenue analysis conducted on behalf of the Baker administration found the proposal would add $125 million per year to the state's economy and create between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs every year. It would also increase disposable income by about $200 million — money that people would spend to boost the state's economy.

Still, the proposal has come under fire from the film industry, which says the credit is vital to Massachusetts jobs.

"There are thousands of people whose jobs have been created by the Massachusetts film tax credit," said a spokesman for the Massachusetts Production Coalition. "Several of them will be testifying at the hearing about how the strong and growing film industry in Massachusetts has changed their families' life. If the film tax credit goes away, their jobs will go away."

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Snow-smashed Bay State 
lobbying feds for millions

The battery of snowstorms that slammed the Bay State this winter killed 25 people in less than a month and injured more than 1,500, the state revealed in its pitch to the White House for hundreds of millions of dollars in federal disaster aid.

The whopping total — believed to be the first public accounting of the winter's death toll — spanned a 28-day period between January and February, when state officials say it snowed all but three days and rung up an estimated $400 million in snow removal costs and damages. Boston also set a record for snowiest winter, eclipsing a two-
decade-old mark.

The four-week pummeling shuttered businesses and crippled the MBTA to the tune of $40 million in storm-related costs, Gov. Charlie Baker wrote to the White House. The T, he said, also estimated 
$4.7 million in lost revenue — though that number is likely to grow — after it shut its system down on three occasions and struggled for weeks to return to full service.

"We understand the unique nature of our request to FEMA to declare a prolonged period of snow as a federal disaster," Baker said at a State House press conference. "But taking into account the unrelenting snowfall over those 28 days and the freezing temperatures over that time ... we're confident our request meets 
the threshold."

Neither Baker nor Kurt Schwartz, the director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, could say how much money the state would ultimately seek. A declaration could open the door to 75 percent in reimbursements to the state, cities and towns, but Schwartz said it is "quite likely" the total costs will ultimately eclipse the state's $400 million estimate.

Of the 25 deaths tied to the record-breaking winter, eight people suffered "cardiac episodes" while shoveling, officials said. Seventeen others died from what the chief medical examiner's office called "blunt force trauma," either from being hit by snowplows or cars, falling from roofs while clearing snow or even slipping on ice.

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The Ticker

Liberty Mutual re-org affects 80 Mass. jobs

Liberty Mutual is eliminating 1,100 field customer service positions, including 80 in Massachusetts, in its sales offices around the country, and replacing them with 1,000 customer service jobs that will be centralized in six call centers, including one in Springfield, the Boston-based insurance company said yesterday.

Employees whose jobs are being eliminated will be able to apply for positions in the call centers — which will also be in Arizona, Indiana, Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania — as well as positions elsewhere in the company, said Liberty Mutual Vice President John Cusolito. Workers who end up moving to a call center will be given relocation packages, Cusolito said. Other employees whose jobs are being eliminated will be given severance packages, he said.

Sixty-five of the new positions will be added to the Springfield call center this year, followed by more next year, he said.

North Andover woman gets six months for stealing from employer

A North Andover woman has been sentenced to six months in jail after pleading guilty to stealing $1.7 million from her employer.

Attorney General Maura Healy said 44-year-old Dorothy Giard pleaded guilty to larceny and false bookkeeping charges yesterday in Superior Court in Salem.

Judge David Lowy imposed a six-month jail sentence followed by 10 years of probation and ordered her to pay $1.7 million in restitution.

Prosecutors say Giard stole the money while working as the officer manager for Diamond Ironworks in Lawrence, a steel fabrication company. Authorities say she spent the pilfered cash on international vacations, high-end cars, spa services and other luxury items.

Road funding bill heads to Senate

The Senate could pass a $200 million local road funding bill and deliver it to the governor by late next week, according to the chairman of a committee that reviewed the bill yesterday.

Senate Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Chairman John Keenan (D-Quincy) told reporters after a brief hearing that he expects it to come up Wednesday. Combined with a total of $130 million in local road and pothole funding released by Gov. Charlie Baker this year, the bill would bring the total aid for local roads to $330 million, according to Keenan.

"I think probably the winter highlighted how essential it is to get this money there, and also because Gov. Baker released the additional $100 million that was authorized last year — he released it in January — so municipalities are really looking to combine that with this authorization to get the work done that they have to get done," Keenan said.

The bill cleared the House unanimously Wednesday.

• Life Time Fitness announced health and fitness industry veteran Michael Diatelevi, left, as general manager of the company's first sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destination in the Boston area. Life Time Athletic Westwood at University Station is under construction with a planned opening in summer 2015.

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Car Smart: Murano gives more features for less money

Newly redesigned for 2015, the Nissan Murano is an attractive mid-sized crossover that has almost everything you could want for less money.

While it doesn't wow you with its power, it earns some nice style points for its features and upscale appearance.

The Murano has a 3.5-liter V6 engine with a continuously variable-speed automatic transmission (CVT). The CVT takes awhile to get used to as it seems to feel like a slipping clutch, revving hard but not taking off. Drivers looking for a fast hole-shot will find this feature lacking. For others, the transmission is something they may notice at first, but soon forget.

The one-speed CVT does pay dividends — it helps this car achieve 21 miles per gallon in the city and 28 mpg on the highway.

The Murano has the look and feel of a higher-priced luxury vehicle without the expensive price tag. The aerodynamic exterior is sleek and sharp with nice lines along the side complemented by a chrome accent at the base of the door. The Murano looks somewhat like a spaceship from a few vantage points.

The SV AWD trim level, with an MSRP of $37,305, has a classy interior even though it is equipped with cloth, not leather, seats. It also did not have a heated steering wheel or heated seats, which in winter seems a bit of a must here in the Northeast.

The all-wheel drive performs very well in the snow, with the Murano starting and stopping with predictably good results. The vehicle is also equipped with a remote start feature, which is necessary in the cold weather.

The Murano's 11-speaker Bose audio system has good sound and there's a touch screen on the head unit that also controls the GPS and Bluetooth. The electronics layout needs some tweaking, however. The volume controls are hard to find on the steering wheel and even after a week of driving, the layout failed to make sense.

This crossover sports a quiet cabin that insulates highway noise pretty well, but engine noise somehow still manages to get through. The ride is very comfortable.

With 69.9 cubic feet of cargo space, the Murano has plenty of storage, even more than the previous model year. The Murano seats five comfortably with front seats that employ zero gravity technology and back seats that fold flat. The cabin feels even roomier with its super-sized panoramic moonroof.

Overall, the Nissan 
Murano SV AWD is a great buy as long as you are looking for features and comfort over performance.

2015 Nissan Murano SV AWD

• MSRP: $35,105
• As Tested: $37,305
• MPG: 21 city, 28 highway

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Colleges getting out of health insurance business

SEATTLE — The federal health care overhaul is leading some colleges and universities to get out of the health insurance business.

Experts are divided on whether this change will be good or bad for students. Some call it an inevitable result of health care reform and a money-saver for students since insurance in the marketplace is usually cheaper than the college plans. Others worry that more students will go without health insurance since their premiums won't be folded into the lump sum they pay for school, and they say college health plans offer more coverage for the money than other options.

The main driver of colleges getting out of the insurance business is a provision in the Affordable Care Act that prevents students from using premium tax subsidies to purchase insurance from their college or university, according to Steven M. Bloom, director of federal relations for the American Council on Education, a Washington, D.C., group representing the presidents of U.S. colleges and universities.

Add to that the provision that allows young people to stay on their parent's health insurance plans until age 26, plus the expansion of Medicaid in some states and the rising cost of student insurance. The result is cheaper health insurance available for students off campus.

But Bloom worries more schools will decide to drop insurance coverage.

"I've heard of instances where schools are thinking about it, but they are reluctant, particularly in instances where states declined to expand Medicaid," Bloom said.

An administrator who managed the process of dropping student health insurance at William Patterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, said he originally worried about vulnerable students not getting health insurance, but changed his mind after doing more research.

"I actually went into the exchange myself and did a bunch of 'what ifs' to see if this was actually a better deal for them. In many cases it is," said Stephen Bolyai, the school's vice president for administration and finance.

The change in New Jersey began with advocacy by community college leaders, who said health insurance was getting so expensive students couldn't afford it, Bolyai said.

Richard Simpson, who is the student health insurance manager at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, contends, however, that student health plans are a better deal for students.

College plans give students more coverage for their money, they usually have lower deductibles, and they are more flexible than some state plans bought on the exchange, said Simpson, who is also chair of the student health insurance coalition for the American College Health Association, an association of college health officers based in Hanover, Maryland.

"Student plans provide 'gold' or 'platinum' level coverage at a 'bronze' price," Simpson said. "We believe that in the vast majority of cases, student insurance is the best option."

As more states expand Medicaid eligibility — as a number of states are now debating — it's likely more colleges will push their students into the marketplace - a development being seen from coast to coast.

Four of New Jersey's 11 state public colleges and universities stopped selling health insurance to their students this past fall: Richard Stockton College, William Paterson University, Ramapo College and New Jersey City University, all four-year schools.

Meanwhile, three of Washington state's six four-year colleges and universities made the change at the same time: the University of Washington, Washington State University and The Evergreen State College.

In some states, student plans are still cheaper than individual plans that can be purchased through the exchanges. And students who work part-time and are not on their parents' insurance often can get covered for free in states that expanded eligibility for Medicaid.

Levi Huddleson, a telecommunications major at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, has not had health insurance since 2012. He looked into buying student health insurance, but found it would cost more than he could afford on the $6,200 he makes annually working part-time.

Huddleson said his parents are retired and cannot afford to pay for his health insurance, his tuition or other bills. If Indiana had expanded access to Medicaid, he would likely be eligible for free health insurance. He currently makes too much money for Medicaid but too little to afford the $166 a month premium he found by searching the federal exchange.

"I cannot afford it, so it is definitely not by choice," Huddleson said about his decision not to buy health insurance. "I considered buying it, but just taking the hit and paying the penalty was significantly cheaper than either option. Luckily, I'm young, and I don't have any serious pre-existing conditions."

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New law to protect domestic workers to take effect this week

BOSTON — A new law set to take effect this week aims to increase protections for domestic workers in Massachusetts.

The law requires people who hire nannies, caregivers and other domestic workers in Massachusetts to adhere to established labor standards and other worker protections.

The bill defines domestic workers as individuals who provide in-home services including housekeeping, laundering, cooking and even companionship.

The new law — which was signed by former Gov. Deval Patrick last year but takes effect Wednesday — also makes clear that domestic workers are eligible for government services and benefits such as unemployment insurance, workers compensation and minimum wage protections.

The law sets rules for sleep, meal and rest periods, and required that female domestic workers receive at least eight weeks maternity leave if they are full-time employees.

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