County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to advance a proposal that would increase the amount employers are required to pay towards health insurance for county contracted and subcontracted workers, like airport and port workers.
The ordinance would require employers to contribute $3.44 per hour to an employee's health insurance starting in 2021. The current rate is $1.63 per hour.
The proposal now has a public hearing scheduled for Feb. 26. at 10 a.m.
In December of last year, the commission vote to increase the living wage from $12.38 per hour to $13.27 per hour.
"It's taken us a long time to get here," said Fmr. Sen. and Commissioner Nan Rich, who co-sponsored the health insurance measure along with Vice Mayor Dale Holness.
"Anything that we can do to ensure that people that work either for us directly or through our contracted entities are able to have some chance of meeting, and being able to have... basic needs. It's the right direction," Rich said.
Read More: Broward Commission Raises Living Wage, But Delays Decision On Healthcare Requirement
Janet Walker, a security guard at Port Everglades, told the commission about her struggles to pay for her IV medicine for rheumatoid arthritis.
"My treatment costs $3,911.43 every eight weeks," Walker said. "The insurance coverage that I, as a subcontractor for the county, has pays a maximum of $30 per prescription, and a maximum of 12 prescriptions for the year."
If the ordinance does not pass its final vote, Walker said she will have to consider changing jobs.She was awarded employee of the month in January for her security work. But she said when she does not get her medicine, she can't get out of bed to get to work.
"Not taking my medications, I won't know what condition I will wake up in," she said. "Some mornings I wake up my arm doesn't work, my leg doesn't work...My jaw would not open."
Commissioner Barbara Sharief sought to pass an amendment that would have required the pay increase only for new, extended, amended or renewed contracts after Feb. 26, 2019.
But after a lack of support from other commissioners, Sharief later voted in support of the original ordinance.
"I basically wanted to be proactive, not retroactive and not hurt contracts that were already negotiated," Sharief said.
After the hearing, Walker expressed her relief.
"Life will be better quality," she said. "My children will have me around longer. My life depends on it."
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the health care increase would go into effect in 2022. It will be going into effect Jan. 1 2021. We regret the error.
