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History
- Referred to labor
- Referred to labor
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the labor law and the state finance law, in relation to creating the "fair share health act"
Purpose
This bill would establish a fair share health program and fund to ensure that large employers contribute appropriately to the increasing cost of health care benefits for employees in New York
Summary of provisions
Section one is the name of the act: the Fair Share Health Act. Section two of the bill amends the Labor Law by adding a new section 211-b, entitled "The fair share health program." Under this program, employers with more than ten thousand employees in New York state shall report to the Department of Labor certain information about their numbers of employees, amounts spent on health insurance benefits for their employees, and the percentage of total wages paid that was spent on health insurance benefits. Employers subject to the program shall contribute the difference between the amount the employer spends on health care benefits for employees and either 6% (not-for-profit employers) or 8% (for-profit employers) to the fair share health fund. Section 211-b also provides for duties of the Department of Labor in implementing the fair share health program, and penalties for employers' failure to make required reports or required payments. Section 3 of the bill amends the State Finance Law by adding a new section 97-m, which establishes the fair share health fund. The substantive revisions in the amended bill are to this section, and specifically to subdivision 3 of section 97 -m. In the original print, funds were to be made available to two agencies and were to be used to increase the availability and/or quality of health care programs, but that use was not targeted to employees of large employers that provide inadequate health coverage. Under the new language, funds will be made available to a single agency, the State Department of Health, and will be used to provide health care and/or health coverage to employees who (a) are employed by employers that are required to make payments to the fund and (b) do not otherwise have health coverage. Section 4 of the bill requires annual reports to the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Temporary President of the Senate regarding the administration, implementation, and enforcement of the fair share health program.
Read the full memo (619 words)
Justification
By establishing the fair share health program and fund, which requires large employers to contribute appropriately to the increasing cost of health care for employees in New York, this bill helps to level the playing field so that businesses can compete fairly. Large employers that are not doing their "fair share" towards providing quality, affordable health care benefits have lower costs, and therefore a competitive edge, over those employers that do provide such benefits. This bill seeks to improve the quality of health care for employees in New York by encouraging employers that do not provide quality, affordable health care to begin doing so. Those employers that do not choose to invest in their employees, and that do not provide sufficient health care benefits, will be required to contribute to a fund that will be used to provide health care and/or health coverage to employees whose employers are
Legislative history
04/24/07 REFERRED TO LABOR 01/09/08 REFERRED TO LABOR
Fiscal implications
To be determined. EFFECTIVE DATE : This act shall take effect on the 120th day after it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the collection of data and the addition, amendment, or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for implementation of this act are authorized effective immediately and to be made on or before the effective date of the act.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.