So are there really only 513 MA companies who don’t provide insurance? I don’t think so! 16,000 failed to file. While the state is preparing to enforce the individual mandate, it would be appropriate for them to pursue those employers who failed to file on time, and who don’t contribute to insuring their workers. They should be the first ones to pay a penalty for ignoring the health reform law since they were the first to miss a deadline. The Patrick administration has taken a large step in keeping health reform moving by announcing these numbers today.

If it turns out that there are few businesses who need to pay their Fair Share, that is good news for MA workers! But it will also mean the legislature must find other sources of money to make up for the millions of dollars they projected would come from the business Fair Share assessment to fund reform and the Safety Net Trust Fund.

We are discovering that there are more uninsured than some surveys projected two years ago. We need every employer to provid insurance, or pay their fair share to help cover the cost of the uninsured. The legislation was built on a three-legged stool of responsibility: government, business, and individual.

Let’s make sure that business contributes its fair share so that the stool doesn’t begin to wobble!