subject: Are Employers Required To Offer Health Insurance? [print this page] If you are one of the many who have found yourself scratching your head over the new health care reform that has been put into place this year, you are certainly not alone. One of the main issues that people have been left questioning is whether or not employers are required to offer health insurance.
The simple answer to this question is no. The health care reform bill did make mention of several new laws and rules to be put into place for employers, but they did not specifically require employers to provide insurance.
Just about every health care activist will tell you that this particular area of the plan is a bit confusing. To help clarify the issues, it is important to note some specifics. As it stands now, the plan states that companies with less than fifty employees will not face any consequences if they choose to not offer insurance.
That being said, companies can obtain tax credits if they do chose to buy insurance, have a workforce of no more than twenty-five employees and an average wage of no more than fifty thousand dollars. These credits can be as much as thirty five percent of the cost of the insurance premiums.
Companies that currently employ more than fifty employees and do not provide insurance coverage will be forced to pay a fine. This fine can be up to two thousand dollars per full time employee that does not have insurance, and chooses to obtain a government insurance plan. It is important to note that the first thirty employees will not be included in this fine assessment.
While the topic of nationalized health care is a bit taboo and makes people squirm a bit, it is important to understand exactly how these changes will affect you, your work place, and how employers will be impacted by the new laws that have been established.
by: Dominic Lin
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