Did I hear this? Calif. Health Insurance?

[fencesitter]

Gov. Grey Davis signed a bill requiring all employers with 200 or more employees to provide health benefits to their employees? Being a health insurance advocate this is awesome news to me. I'm sure this makes him extremely unpopular with the NFIB and other business groups and could either hurt him or help him, but I have always believed if companies were required by law to provide health benefits, we would finally see some significant and speedy reform in this industry. The uninsured have little or no voice except for the advocacy groups, but make employers pay? Lotta screaming will happen.

[bif]

1. They've been covering it on NPR

As you'd imagine, it's pretty controversial. I'll see if I can find a link.

[Noordam]

2. Normal Repug BS about this

First small companies are not required to provide health benefits. Only if you employee 200 or more (I am using your numbers)

But the Repugs are all saying, "It will kill small businesses"......

What small business Bank of America.....!!!!

[fencesitter]

3. Yes, like the "Death Tax"

will wipe out all the mom and pop businesses you worked your whole life to pass on to your children. Well, maybe if my hardware store is showing an aftertax profit and net worth of 4 million.

[NJCher]

4. read it on Google this a.m.

Just go to Google News and scroll down. There were a number of stories on it. Saw it about 4:30 a.m. EST, maybe earlier.

Good for GD and for the people of California.


Cher

[Xithras]

5. Sadly, many employers WILL cut staff

There are already a few local employers looking at staff reductions to fall under the 200 employee limit. Between contractors and outsourcing, most companies will be able to dodge the rule, so I'm not expecting much change from the new law (really big companies typically provide benefits anyway, really small companies are exempt, and the midsized companies this targets will simply shed enough fulltime permanent staff to become exempt).

Nice idea, but poorly implemented. What we NEED is a health insurance system that's INDEPENDENT of the employers.