Maryland Fair Share Health Care
HB 1284/SB 790 Maryland Fair Share Health Care ("Wal-Mart" Bill)
- HB 1284/SB 790 requires employers with 10,000 employees (Wal-Mart, Comcast, Northrope Grumman) to pay 8 percent of their payroll on employee health care or pay an 8 percent payroll tax. The bill treats full-time and part-time employees the same and exempts state and local governments.
- This bill only applies to large businesses, but make no mistake this is the camel's nose under the tent, the proponents of this bill were very clear, they want to impose a payroll tax on small-business owners to establish a government-run health-care system in Maryland.
- Many proponents, which include unions and proponents of government-run health-care along with some legislative leaders, have vowed to reduce the threshold and make this law apply to all employers big and small.
- NFIB will continue its fight for real health-care solutions like Small-Business Health Plans (AHPs) and health savings accounts.
