Question

What do we know about the potential effects of an employer mandate from Hawaii’s experience? Discuss in a few sentences.

Answer 1

Much national debate centers around national models in which an employer mandate plays an important role in providing for health care coverage for all Americans. Hawaii has had the nation's only health insurance employer mandate for almost 20 years, yet little is known nationally about the mandate itself or Hawaii's experience with it

When we talk about effects, 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 mandate helped bring up the insurance rate to 98 percent, although it slipped back to about 90 percent during the recession in 2008.