Sacramento Bee Examines Advertisement Recommending Repeal of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage Law
The Sacramento Bee on Wednesday published an analysis of a television advertisement by groups recommending that state residents reject a law (SB 2) that will require some employers to provide health insurance to their employees or pay into a state fund to provide such coverage. Under Proposition 72, a referendum on SB 2 on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot, state residents can vote to uphold or reject the law (Sacramento Bee, 9/15).
SB 2, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2006, will require employers with 200 or more employees to provide health insurance to workers and their dependents by 2006 or pay into the state fund. Employers with 50 to 199 employees will have to provide health insurance only to workers by 2007.
Companies with fewer than 20 workers will not have to comply with the law, and the law also will exempt employers with 20 to 49 workers unless the state provides them with tax credits to offset the cost of health coverage (California Healthline, 9/13).
According to the Bee, the ad is "an appeal to the 19 million Californians who already have" employer-sponsored health coverage. The ad "focuses on some of the uncertainties" of SB 2, including the cost of compliance for employers, the Bee reports.
The Bee analysis includes a transcript of the ad (Sacramento Bee, 9/15).
Additional information on Proposition 72 is available online.