Employers expected to fight new worker health insurance law

[jamesinca]

Employers expected to fight new worker health insurance law

Lynda Gledhill, Christian Berthelsen, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Monday, October 6, 2003

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Sacramento -- Gov. Gray Davis on Sunday signed into law a sweeping health care bill that will require many employers to provide insurance for their workers, but opponents are already working to make sure it never takes effect.

Supporters of the law believe it will provide health insurance to nearly 1. 1 million working Californians now without coverage. Employers would be required to pay up to 80 percent of the cost, while employees would foot the rest of the bill.

While small businesses are exempt, some believe the bill -- known as SB2 -- could cost California companies as much as $14.2 billion and thousands of jobs. Opponents plan to file paperwork in the next couple of days to start a referendum that would block the law.

"This bill is a multibillion dollar mandate that is a deterrent to job creation," said Richard Costigan, vice president of the California Chamber of Commerce. "But we're worried that this is just the tip of the iceberg. In order to pay for SB2, companies are going to have to lay people off, delay expansion, and look to relocate."


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/10/06/MN285004.DTL
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Notice how it says small business is exempt. So who would these opponets be? It says that as much as $14.2 billion could be the cost to business. Well let us not forget that the the country of CA has an economy that is roughly the size of Germanys, Englands and Japans, plus or minus several million dollars on each. It is to big of a market for McDonalds, Target and Wal-Mart to leave untapped. Those are the ones that don't cover their employees.

[Yavin4]

1. Also, When These Employers Don't Cover Health Care

The taxpayers do. When a Wal-Mart employee gets sick, taxpayers will take care of their health care, one way or another.

[jamesinca]

2. Yep, so lets put it on the business. Make them responsible.

I think it is another social program that is needed. These people cut taxes and social programs saying it saves you money. When the street is not paved it saves you money only for a short time, then you spend more on getting the suspension and shocks and alignment on your car done because of all of the pot holes in the road. But I guess this overall greater cost is good because it somehow saves money.