BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing to reinstate fees on private companies that do not provide health insurance to their workers as part of a plan to rein in surging costs in the state’s Medicaid program.
If approved by the Legislature, companies with 11 or more employees would be required to pay the state $2,000 annually for each worker who is not covered by an employer health care benefit. The employer mandate was included in the state’s 2006 universal health care law but was repealed in 2013 after the federal Affordable Care Act took effect.
Administration officials say the result has been more workers moving into publicly-subsidized plans.
The Republican governor is also hoping to lower Medicaid costs by imposing payment caps on some providers and a moratorium on new insurance mandates.