Des Moines, Iowa - Democratic legislators introduced a plan today to hold large corporations financially accountable if they don't offer basic, affordable health care to employees.

"There have been troubling reports that a significant number of workers at the state's largest employers are forced to use state assistance to receive health care," said State Senator Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City. "We need to move beyond incomplete data, gather the facts, and take appropriate action if big corporations are actually collecting millions of dollars in a hidden health care subsidy by shifting their employees'
health care costs on to state taxpayers."

"When large corporations seek to make an extra buck by refusing to provide health insurance to their employees, Iowa taxpayers are left holding the bag," added State Representative Todd Taylor of Cedar Rapids. "Our health care system is in crisis and large corporations who aren't paying their fair share must be held accountable."

The proposal introduced by Democrats would require large Iowa employers who spend less than 9 percent of their total wages on health care benefits to pay the difference to the state treasury. The measure would affect employers of 8,000 employees or more.

The bill, Senate File 2246, requires recipients of Medicaid and Hawk-I services, the largest state-funded health care programs, to disclose who they work for and whether they work full or part time. The total number of Iowans on Medicaid and Hawk-I by employer would be provided to the Legislature each year.

"Our Medicaid program is expected to jump another $125 million this year because thousands of Iowans don't have access to quality, affordable health care," said State Representative Ro Foege of Mt.
Vernon. "We can't afford to spend our limited state resources on individuals who should have heath insurance through their employer."

The number of Americans without health insurance continues to climb-from
41 million in 2000 to 45 million in 2004. The number of firms that offer health coverage to workers dropped from 69 percent in 2000 to just 60 percent in 2005. In Iowa, there were over 250,000 adults without health insurance, an increase of 37 percent over 2002.

"Corporations making millions in profits need to be responsible and provide reasonable health insurance for their employees. It is a matter of simply fairness," concluded Bolkcom.

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