I agree with Philly Dem. I wish that the responsibility would be born on more than just the large companies, but all of them. A full 33% of our children are obese, diabetes costs have tripled since 1998 and we are no longer providing preventative, health care – but rather “sick” care, and doing a lousy job of it.

It appears to be one of the more sensible proposals I’ve seen dealing with health insurance, but a large question for me is exactly how many workers that aren’t covered by large employers actually end up on Medicaid, as opposed to forgoing any health coverage at all? Uninsured workers must be offered some sort of coverage (or have it “mandated” upon them by government, i.e. Massachusetts), but the possibility exists that employers will be forced to pay coverage costs for employees they don’t have. Otherwise, the proposal seems fine.

First, many retail establishments hire workers, but don’t give them enough “hours” for the workers to qualify as eligible for benefits. (30 hrs/wk is considered “full time” by many retailers.) Second, even if you do get enough hours to qualify for benefits, the insurance offered is simply too expensive to enrol in given the low hourly wages.

pd