Mandatory Health-Care Coverage in Colorado
Issue Background: Pressure is mounting on the state's employers to do more to provide health insurance for their employees. Some policymakers believe that "big box" retailers like Wal-Mart do not offer their employees access to affordable health insurance. There is a movement to require those very large employers to offer and pay for a certain level of health insurance for all of their full- and part-time employees.
Proponents of this effort maintain that it is the responsibility of employers to provide their employees with health insurance, and point to the massive profits of these large retail operations as justification for a requirement to provide more benefits for their workers. They note that they propose this requirement for only the state's largest employers.
Opponents say health insurance is a benefit that employers use to attract better employees, but that there is no obligation for employers, large or small, to provide for employees' health-care needs. They note that the high cost of health insurance as the main reason why many employers don't offer health insurance. They see this idea as a slippery slope that could lead to health insurance requirements for small businesses. They say the low prices offered by large retailers are a benefit and cite low employment costs as a factor in those savings.
NFIB Position: NFIB will continue to oppose any attempt to require employers to provide health-care coverage. It is NFIB's position that employer-provided health-care coverage is a privilege and not a right.
