NU Online News Service, Oct. 6, 2003, 1:13 p.m. EDT – California Gov. Gray Davis, a Democrat, has signed S.B. 2, a bill that is supposed to create a “universal health” coverage system in California.
If the bill takes effect as written, California employers with at least 200 employees will have to provide family health coverage for eligible employees starting in 2006.
Employers with 50 to 199 workers would have to provide worker-only coverage starting in 2007. Employers with 20 to 49 workers would have to provide worker-only coverage in 2007 if the state offers subsidized coverage.
Affected employers that did not provide health coverage would have to pay a health coverage fee. The California Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board would then buy coverage for eligible workers.