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JANUARY 2005
It's time to support Fair Share Health Care
by Rick S. Bender, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO

We have a list of deadbeat dads. We have a registry of sex offenders and we can pinpoint where they are living in our communities. Why shouldn’t we know what companies are shifting costs onto taxpayers for their own employee’s health care?

American medicine has apparently become a game of pass the buck. Increasingly, the private sector is passing the buck to the taxpayers. In 2001, nearly 70 percent of Americans under the age of 65 got their health care coverage through their employers. But by 2003, that picture had changed dramatically. More and more companies are shifting costs, and just 63% of working Americans now get their health care coverage through their jobs. 

It’s an even worse picture on the low-wage end of the employment scale. Less than half, just 47.3 percent, of low-wage workers had health insurance through their jobs or a family member’s job in 2002.

Consider the story of Andi Kaufmann of Kent. She’s worked since 2003 at a Van’s store and earns $9.58 an hour. She was promoted to assistant manager, and after completing the waiting period, finally became eligible for health benefits. But, her insurance plan requires that she work a minimum of 28 hours each and every week. She would end up some weeks with only 25 hours of work, and would lose her eligibility. She depends on taxpayer support through Medicaid, but is afraid that will run out soon.

Brande Balas of Everett is a full-time student and works 25 hours a week at a local Jack in the Box, where she earns $7.75 an hour. She lives with her mom and they split the rent. When she turned 19, she lost her public Medicaid insurance and health insurance just isn't available through her employer. So for now, she’s going “bare,” and if she has an accident or illness, guess who will pay?

You will. Taxpayers are subsidizing employers like Jack in the Box because they avoid the cost of health insurance and expect the public to pay.

What about a Safeway employee whose spouse works at Wal-Mart? Safeway is paying for employee and dependent health care coverage, and Wal-Mart is getting a free ride. Meanwhile, Safeway is struggling to compete on this unlevel playing field. That’s just not fair.

The shocking fact is that nearly four out of five individuals without health insurance are employed. It’s not right that people who work hard every day face economic ruin and health care problems because they don’t have a fair share of health care coverage at their job. The single largest reason for personal bankruptcies is medical bills, not credit card bills.

When the uninsured rely on the hospital emergency room for their health care, we all pay more. It just makes so much sense and saves so much money to treat people before they need an emergency room, before their illness because acute.

Large companies that don’t offer affordable, comprehensive health coverage to their employees expect the taxpayer to cover their costs when their employees get sick or need emergency treatment. That’s not fair. 

That’s why the Washington State Labor Council is part of a coalition supporting Fair Share Health Care for Washington. Under this proposed legislation, if a large employer fails to provide health care benefits amounting to 85 percent of the cost of the individual BHP (currently about $240 per employee per month), the employer would be required to pay a fee to the state which would be used to create slots in the Basic Health Plan for supported workers.

Personally, I think large companies have a moral obligation to pay their fair share of health care and not shift costs to taxpayers. Our proposal would apply only to large employers with 50 or more employees. This approach would create a level playing field for all large employers, and eliminate the competitive advantage companies now get from shirking their responsibility and shifting costs to the taxpayers.

If you agree, be sure and let your representatives know you support Fair Share Health Care!

Rick Bender is President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO,
the largest labor organization in the state.

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Copyright © 2005  Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO