Migden To Introduce Health Insurance Mandate for Large Employers

Sen. Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) plans to introduce legislation that would require businesses with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8% of their total wages on health care benefits, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The legislation is modeled after a Maryland law passed last month that affects only Wal-Mart.

Under the bill, if employers fail to meet the 8% threshold, they would have to contribute the difference between what they do pay and the 8% to Medi-Cal. The bill is expected to be in print within the next few days.

Sixty-nine businesses in the state employ more than 10,000 workers, according to the Department of Economic Development. But Migden said some employers would not be affected by the bill because they already spend more than the 8% threshold on employee health benefits (Lucas, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/2).