Health Care for Working Families Act

Summary

Health Care for Working Families Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to establish a new title II, Health Benefits for Employees and Their Families. Requires each large employer to: (1) offer to each of its employees the opportunity to enroll in a qualifying health benefit plan that provides coverage for the employee and the employee's family; (2) contribute to the cost of such plan; and (3) withhold the employee share of the plan premium from the employee's wages. Defines a large employer as one that employed an average of at least 50 full-time employees on business days during the preceding calendar year and employs at least 50 employees on the first day of the plan year. Considers contract workers as employees for such purposes. Defines a qualifying health benefit plan as one that: (1) provides benefits for health care items and services that are actuarially equivalent or greater in value than those offered as of January 1, 1998, under the Blue Cross-Blue Shield (BC-BS) Standard Plan provided under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP); and (2) meets applicable requirements under the Public Health Service Act. Sets the minimum required contribution by an employer at the same portion of the total premium as the Federal Government pays for such BC-BS Standard Plan under FEHBP. Sets forth a formula for determining such minimum employer contribution with respect to part-time workers who work less than 30 hours per week; but requires no employer contribution for employees working less than ten hours per week. Requires any employee covered under a Federal health insurance program (including Medicare, Medicaid, FEHBP, and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services) to accept an employer's offer of health insurance coverage and agree to payroll withholdings, or request the Federal health insurance program to pay the employee share of the premium. Exempts from this requirement: (1) an employee otherwise covered under an employment-based qualified health benefit plan; or (2) a family member of a non-electing employee, where the family member is otherwise covered under an employment-based qualified health benefit plan. Sets forth requirements relating to timing of coverage and withholding, enforcement, and preemption. Amends the Public Health Service Act to require a health insurance issuer that offers employee health insurance coverage to an employer to ensure that such coverage complies with requirements of title II of FLSA.

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Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 22 April 1998

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• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 22 April 1998

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 22 April 1998

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