New Study Proves That Fewer Employers Are Paying for Health Care, Leaving Middle-Class Families Holding the Bill

Statement by California Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Art Pulaski

 

“The latest study from the Economic Policy Institute concludes that California ranks 45th in the country in terms of employer-provided health care coverage, and notes that middle-income workers have experienced the worst decline in employer-sponsored coverage. Californians might as well be holding signs that read, “Will work for health care”.

“This is the latest confirmation of why we need to make health care more affordable for working and middle-income families, and not less affordable, as the Governor’s plan does.

“Fewer employers are willing to cover the costs of health care and are forcing workers to carry a greater financial burden by paying higher out of pocket expenses. The study’s conclusion reinforces our concern that any health care plan that does not require employers to assume a fair burden is doomed. And as more employers drop coverage, workers will be left to fend for themselves in a market where they can pay as much as $13,000 for health care.

“Under the Governor’s plan, some employers will pay nothing at all for their employees’ health care. If we ask too little of them it won’t increase the number of workers who get coverage and won’t fix our broken health care system. If we want real health care reform, we need a plan that will make health care affordable by requiring employers to truly share responsibility.”

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