Don't offer employee insurance? Mass. firms may face penalty under Baker's plan
Governor Charlie Baker is proposing a sweeping set of measures to tackle ever-escalating health care costs, including a fee on employers and new limits on hospital prices.
Baker administration officials said they want to bring back a provision of Massachusetts’ landmark 2006 health care law that was later repealed: requiring employers with more than 10 full-time workers to pay a penalty if they fail to offer health insurance. That proposal is already causing angst among employers, who are calling the plan a new tax.
The governor, a Republican and former health insurance executive, is also seeking to cap payments for certain health care providers, eliminate certain hospital fees, and end new insurance mandates that contribute to the cost of premiums.
Baker’s proposals, which need legislative approval, are aimed at controlling the ballooning costs of the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, which provides health coverage to residents on low incomes. The program insures about 1.9 million people and costs more than $15 billion a year -- nearly 40 percent of the state budget. Its enrollment has been growing in part because the federal Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, allowed many low-income workers to join the public program even if they had access to insurance from their employers, the administration said.
Read more: http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/01/17/baker-propose-assessment-for-companies-that-don-offer-employee-health-insurance/gBAyT2JtWWJsvBGVXs77yO/story.html
