BOSTON (March 15, 2017): In response to health care employers’ support for Governor Baker’s proposed health care tax on employers, the following statement may be attributed to Bill Vernon, Massachusett’s State Director for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB):
It should come as no surprise to anyone that health care companies are offering their support of this new and unprecedented mandate forcing employers to pay a penalty if less than 80% of their employees fail to accept their insurance benefits package.
What is surprising is that their blatant self-interest is being taken seriously as proof that this policy is sound. The hypocrisy of the same companies that make health care unaffordable demanding that small business be forced to pay more towards health care should not be lost on our legislators or their constituents. If this “Massachusetts only” tax on the business community is implemented it will leave Massachusetts businesses at a competitive disadvantage with every other state.
Massachusetts small businesses have sought health care cost relief ever since state and federal health care reform efforts got underway more than a decade ago. Somehow, cost relief is never achieved, while the interests of big health care, big pharma and big insurance are served in the most expensive state for health care. This tax proposal is just more of the same.
