Early versions of the Senate's healthcare bill said that small businesses with fewer than 50 workers would not be penalized if they failed to provide insurance. But labor unions in the construction industry persuaded Senate leaders to insert five paragraphs that singles out the construction industry for special treatment, in a way that benefits union members and contractors who use union labor, the New York Times reports. The provision was one of many added to the bill as senators rushed to finish the legislation, and it illustrates the difficulty of establishing uniform national requirements in a country where employers have devised myriad different arrangements for providing health insurance to employees, the Times reports.
