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Are employers legally required to provide their workers with health
insurance?
No, there are no state or federal laws that require private U.S. employers
to offer health insurance benefits to any employees at all. However, it
is common practice, especially among larger employers, to offer health insurance
benefits as a means to attract and retain workers.
Because private employers aren't required to offer health insurance, it
is up to each company to decide which employees will be offered health coverage,
as long as it is done equitably.
Many employers offer health benefits only to full-time employees. The number
of hours an employee must work each week to qualify as a full-timer varies
with the individual employer. In general, most have a cut-off in the 30-
to 35-hour a week range. More generous employers might offer benefits to
those working just 25 hours a week.
It's interesting to note that although private employers are not required
to offer health insurance initially, once they do offer such coverage, they
become subject to a variety of state and federal laws that dictate such
things as what kind of benefits to provide and continuation of coverage.
For instance, employers with more than 20 full-time workers that offer health
insurance must offer continuation coverage called COBRA under certain circumstances.
Another law, known as HIPAA, guarantees certain rights for people who have
pre-existing medical conditions.
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