skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Closing a Health Care “Loophole” for WV Construction Workers

play audio
Play

Monday, January 14, 2008   

Charleston, WV – Under state law, state-funded construction projects include funding for workers' health care, but strangely enough, the law does not require contractors to make sure their workers actually get that insurance coverage. A proposed law before the West Virginia Legislature aims to close this major loophole.

The proposal would require that contractors show proof of workforce health coverage. Scott Brewer with the Carpenters Union in West Virginia says unless the loophole is closed, workers can end up relying on public assistance to meet medical costs -- which means, in effect, taxpayers pay twice.

"It leaves these construction workers and their families uncovered. If employers would simply spend the money that is dedicated to healthcare coverage on healthcare coverage, then their employees' families would be covered and their medical expenses would be paid, instead of being passed along to taxpayers."

He says many companies pay the money for healthcare coverage directly to workers, but that doesn't solve the problem because individual health plans are typically too expensive for workers to afford. Brewer adds that construction trade unions have been working to get this law passed for years. In his view, it would ensure that taxpayer money is being spent the way it's intended.

Critics say contractors would have a hard time complying with the proposed requirement, because it would be too difficult or expensive.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021