Employer Supplied Health Insurance

Costs to employers for providing comprehensive health benefits has risen 57% in the years 1999-2003. Both small and large companies are beginning to reduce insurance coverage, and as premiums and deductibles surge upwards, many low and mid range earners are opting out of health insurance and are having to rely on publicly funded insurance programs like Medicaid. In an attempt to address this problem, several states are considering "play or pay" legislation in which employers who do not provide adequate insurance for their employees would be required to contribute to a fund to insure state residents.