Some supporters say it's that exemption [Electronics]
Some supporters say it's that exemption itself that has helped preserve the law all these years. It requires that the state keep the law as is — or risk losing it altogether.When President Barack Obama pushed the Affordable Care Act through Congress, Hawaii was a little worried, so the state's then-senators, Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye, helped get language in to preserve the stricter state mandate.In Hawaii, employers of any size must offer coverage to anyone working more than 19 hours per week, and the coverage can't cost more than 1.5 percent of a worker's income. Companies that fail to offer enough insurance can see various permits held up or face administrative fines.
The federal mandate, on the other hand, applies to businesses with more than 50 full-time employees, with full time defined as 30 hours per week. Affordable coverage is defined much more loosely as 9.5 percent of income.Slom, an economist who weighed in on the state law when it was being drawn up, said Hawaii was well-placed to experiment with an employer mandate because it had a historically high rate of insurance — about 90 percent when the law passed in 1974. The mandate helped bring up the insurance rate to 98 percent, although it slipped back to about 90 percent during the recession.
Only Massachusetts has matched that rate of coverage.Mario Ramil, who was commissioner of Hawaii's insurance department in the 1980s, said he hopes the nation takes a cue from the Aloha State."I think that Hawaii's experience should serve as something to look to in determining a model for the nation," he said. "It's 40 years since we've had it, and in that 40 years, we have the lowest uninsured rate. We have a very healthy population."It wasn't always a no-brainer. Ramil said that in 1977, Standard Oil filed a lawsuit over the law. Eventually the state sought and ultimately won an exemption from ERISA to protect it from further challenges.
This is my favorite article:Hike in duty on machine set to upset kidney patients
The federal mandate, on the other hand, applies to businesses with more than 50 full-time employees, with full time defined as 30 hours per week. Affordable coverage is defined much more loosely as 9.5 percent of income.Slom, an economist who weighed in on the state law when it was being drawn up, said Hawaii was well-placed to experiment with an employer mandate because it had a historically high rate of insurance — about 90 percent when the law passed in 1974. The mandate helped bring up the insurance rate to 98 percent, although it slipped back to about 90 percent during the recession.
Only Massachusetts has matched that rate of coverage.Mario Ramil, who was commissioner of Hawaii's insurance department in the 1980s, said he hopes the nation takes a cue from the Aloha State."I think that Hawaii's experience should serve as something to look to in determining a model for the nation," he said. "It's 40 years since we've had it, and in that 40 years, we have the lowest uninsured rate. We have a very healthy population."It wasn't always a no-brainer. Ramil said that in 1977, Standard Oil filed a lawsuit over the law. Eventually the state sought and ultimately won an exemption from ERISA to protect it from further challenges.
This is my favorite article:Hike in duty on machine set to upset kidney patients
2013-09-11 12:10
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