The most recent version of the state FY2018 budget released by the Senate and House conference committee includes a provision temporarily increasing the EMAC (Employer Medical Assistance Contribution) by $26 for employers with six or more workers to help close the budget gap in the MassHealth program.
It also contains a second tier of $750 for employers with workers who receive MassHealth benefits. Unlike the compromise version presented by the Governor, the House and Senate budget excludes much-needed structural reforms to rein-in costs for both the commercial and public insurance markets.
It is unfair for legislators to constantly remind employers of a “shared responsibility” in healthcare yet refuse to take the necessary steps to prevent further ballooning of the out-of-control MassHealth budget. Small business owners in Massachusetts already struggle to cover the cost of healthcare and adding this additional burden without any promise of reform in unacceptable.
NFIB urges Governor Baker to return the employer healthcare assessment language in the budget back to the legislature with the vital MassHealth and commercial market reforms. Without these modifications MassHealth heads down an unsustainable path that has the potential to turn a two-year assessment into another permanent Massachusetts tax.
Christopher Carlozzi
NFIB/Massachusetts State Director
