"There are 6.5 million uninsured in California, and 80 percent are either employees who work full-time or their dependents," President Sean Harrigan said at the meeting of the Board of Administration's Health Benefits Committee in Palm Springs.
"The cost of coverage is so high they can't afford their share of the costs. CalPERS is the third largest purchaser in the country. The costs of the uninsured who use emergency rooms are passed on to us. CalPERS is the largest subsidizer for employers who do not provide health care for their employees."
If voters approve Proposition 72, provisions of a bill signed by the Governor in 2003 will go into effect on January 1, 2006.
A staff analysis prepared for the Board said the legislation, Senate Bill 2, would expand health insurance coverage for employees of certain employers and, in some cases, their dependents. It also would establish a program to assist lower-income employees with paying their share of health care premiums.
At an earlier meeting, the CalPERS Board supported S.B. 2 as a step toward reducing the number of uninsured Californians by building on the existing system of employer-sponsored health care coverage.
CalPERS is California's largest purchaser of employee health benefits. For more information about CalPERS, please visit www.calpers.ca.gov.
