A Review of the Issues Surrounding Fair Share Health Care Bills

The accessibility and affordability of health care have become critical issues. As a result, "fair share health care" bills have surfaced in legislatures of more than half of the states in the past 18 months. Supporters of the bills argue that large employers should be forced to shoulder an adequate share of the health care costs of their workers, thereby lessening the burden on smaller employers and taxpayers. Opponents of the bills argue that these bills will not solve the problem of uninsured residents that are not currently employed, nor will they solve the underlying issue of rapidly rising health care costs. This study analyzes the factors leading to the development of fair share health care bills, the key aspects of the bills and litigation involving existing fair share health care laws, including a recent ruling related to Maryland's bill.