Mid-size businesses helped by health bill.The landmark legislation that would require employers to provide health insurance has generated some intense opposition among businesses, but it turns out that the bill also includes a significant, little-known benefit to medium-sized companies. SB 2, which was still awaiting the governor's signature last week, will extend so-called "small market" health insurance reforms enacted in 1993 to businesses with up to 200 workers. The original reforms, limited to businesses with no more than 50 workers, prevent health insurers from refusing to cover employees with pre-existing conditions while also tightly regulating premiums. SB2 extended those reforms with some minimal tinkering tin·ker n. 1. A traveling mender of metal household utensils. 2. Chiefly British A member of any of various traditionally itinerant groups of people living especially in Scotland and Ireland; a traveler. 3. , and could cut premiums for some mid-sized businesses by up to 15 percent. "These businesses are the most vulnerable groups in the marketplace and they get hammered ham·mered adj. 1. Shaped or worked with a metalworker's hammer and often showing the marks of these tools: a bowl of hammered brass. 2. Slang Drunk or intoxicated. Adj. ," said Jeffrey Miles, president of the California California (kăl'ĭfôr`nyə), most populous state in the United States, located in the Far West; bordered by Oregon (N), Nevada and, across the Colorado River, Arizona (E), Mexico (S), and the Pacific Ocean (W). Association of Health Underwriters, an agent and broker trade association. "This is a very important provision of the bill." The reforms prevent carriers from surcharging premiums by more than 15 percent, whether or not a mid-size workforce has an unusually large population of elderly or sickly employees, for example, or several people who may have chronic illnesses. (On the flip side Flip side In the context of general equities, opposite side to a proposition or position (buy, if sell is the proposition and vice versa). , discounts for attractive workforces are similarly limited to 15 percent.) The small-market reforms, which limited surcharges to 10 percent of the premium, have been successful in helping keep down premiums for small employers who have unattractive workforces, but they also may have raised overall rates, Miles said. Even so, he believes, the extension of the reforms to larger employers should help protect them, since they don't have the negotiating clout that businesses with over 200 workers do. Dr. Michael Ashcraft, an aide to state Sen. Jackie Speier Jackie Speier is a former Democratic member of the California State Senate who represented parts of San Francisco and San Mateo Counties. Early life Speier was born May 14, 1950 in San Francisco, California. She earned a B.A. , D-San Francisco, coauthor co·au·thor or co-au·thor n. A collaborating or joint author. tr.v. co·au·thored, co·au·thor·ing, co·au·thors To be a collaborating or joint author of: "He and a colleague . . . of SB 2, said the reforms were included in the bill to help make it easier for mid-sized businesses to swallow swallow, common name for small perching birds of almost worldwide distribution. There are about 100 species of swallows, including the martins, which belong to the same family. Swallows have long, narrow wings, forked tails, and weak feet. the mandates it included. Under the legislation, businesses with 50 to 200 workers must provide health care coverage to their employees starting in Jan. 2007 or pay into a state fund that would provide it for them. |
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