Mandated Health Care: Pay or Play
Issue Overview: Organized labor and other universal health-care advocates have targeted Wal-Mart stores nationwide in an effort to ultimately require all businesses to provide health care for employees. The proposal that swept across parts of this country would require large employers to offer health insurance or to pay a tax so that the government could provide the business' employees with health insurance. The proposal, which has become known as "pay or play," did not come up for final debate last year. It has become part of the perennial debate on mandating health insurance to be provided by all businesses in Connecticut. The proposal was initially aimed at large businesses of 5,000 or more employees. The latest proposal creates a tax of $2.50 per hour per employee for up to 40 hours a week to be paid to the Connecticut Department of Labor. They call it the Fair Share Health-Care Surcharge. If you provide health insurance you may qualify for a credit. NFIB will be calling on members to voice their opposition to mandated health insurance.
NFIB Position: NFIB firmly opposes the creation of mandated employer provided health care.
Issue Status: Senate Bill 462, An Act Concerning a Fair Share Health-Care Surcharge, was heard by the labor committee on March 9 and is expected to be voted out of committee by March 21. NFIB will fight this legislation as part of a business coalition opposed to mandating health insurance.
What to Say/Do: Contact your legislator and tell them you oppose mandated healthcare.
Tell them:
- Business owners are best equipped to make the decision about when they can afford to provide health insurance.
- In today's competitive employment market benefits are a key way to attract and keep good employees.
- Tell them to provide incentives to small business owners to provide health insurance not to use a punitive mandated system.
- Most small businesses consider their employees as close as family.
- You oppose any kind of mandated health care and this is an NFIB/Connecticut key vote issue.
