"Employers say there is less financial advantage to dropping coverage than first thought. The law penalizes large employers, about $2,000 per worker, when they do not offer health insurance. That is far less than the average cost of family coverage, now $12,600 a year ... But those calculations do not figure in the sizable tax break that comes with providing coverage. In addition, if the employers do not provide insurance, they would almost certainly be pressured -- especially in a strong labor market -- to add enough money to workers' paychecks to cover the cost of buying insurance on the marketplace."

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