Discriminatory Health Care Mandates

RILA’s Board of Directors unanimously agreed to initiate this litigation to challenge newly enacted laws in Maryland and Suffolk County, N.Y. The purpose of these discriminatory bills is to mandate that a narrowly defined group of employers provide a specific and inflexible level of employee health care benefits, which threatens all segments of the retail industry.

In Maryland, the law requires covered employers to make expenditures on health benefits equal to 8 percent of the total compensation paid to employees. In Suffolk County, the law specifically targets large, non-unionized food retailers, which must make health care payments at a rate of no less than $3 per hour worked. The brunt of both these laws falls on the retail sector, either because it is specifically named, or because of the nature of the business and its workforce.

List of Resources

* Click here (pdf 1.93 MB) to view all links as one document* Contains the press release, Q&A, legal complaints, legal overview, legislative overview, RILA’s legislative leadership, 2006 Board of Directors and bio of Sandy Kennedy.

Press Release - RILA Files Legal Challenges to Health Plan Mandates in Maryland and Suffolk County, New York

Legal Overview

Maryland Complaint

Suffolk County Complaint

Maryland law

Suffolk County law

Legislative Overview

RILA’s Legislative Leadership

State Matrix

Q&A

2006 Board of Directors

Bio - Sandy Kennedy, RILA President

Bio -- Steve Cannon