Debating Employer Mandates

As lawmakers debate their differences over how to expand health care coverage in Massachusetts, one of the most controversial proposals is the employer mandate. The measure is included in the House plan, but not in the Senate's.

The mandate would charge employers who don't offer health insurance five to seven-percent of their payroll. Advocates say it would help fund statewide coverage expansion; critics charge it would hurt businesses and make the state less competitive.

Bob Oakes recently spoke with people on both sides of the issue: John McDonough executive director of Health Care for All, and Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.