WASHINGTON, D.C. - A national study conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business indicates that a national employer health-care mandate would cost more than 50,000 jobs in Colorado between 2009 and 2013.

The study was based on a computer simulation that looked at a hypothetical mandate that all employers would have to offer private health-care insurance to their employees and pay at least 50 percent of the cost, with the remainder coming from employees and government subsidies.

The NFIB study showed such a mandate would force small Colorado employers to shed more than 29,000 jobs over the five-year period -- about 58 percent of all jobs lost in the state -- and result in small business losing roughly $3.1 billion.

Tony Gagliardi, NFIB's Colorado director, said such a change in health care would be devastating to the state's small business community. "It's probably the most aggressive kind of tax that could ever be imposed on small business," he said. "It could have a serious impact on Colorado and whether we could ever attract new business would be doubtful."

Denny Dennis, NFIB's senior research fellow and co-author of the study, said while the study indicates an employer-mandated health-care system would not be favored by small business, it does not mean the current system does not need improvement.

"I don't think you'll find any small business owner who will say it's fine the way it is," he said. "Politicians are concerned about coverage and small business owners are interested in costs. The two are related, but it's controlling the costs that is most important to business."

Some kind of reform of the nation's health-care system is expected under an Obama administration but when that may happen is unclear due to the economic downturn.