FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Members of a Florida House panel have reluctantly said they want to extend health coverage to part-time employees instead of paying a roughly $300 million fine.
Residents and businesses are required to purchase health insurance under the Affordable Care Act or face a fine. Florida is also included in that mandate. State officials estimate it will cost about $36 million to cover part-time employees who work an average of 30-hours per week. Many of the state's part-time employees work in the health sector and in the university system.
The state is also facing a $50 million increase in order to make its health plan for full-time employees comply with the federal health law.
Some lawmakers suggested offering part-time workers scaled-down benefits as a way to save money.
