Federal data show plunge in workplace health coverage

By Diane Stafford
Knight Ridder News Service

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Far fewer employees are covered by employer-sponsored health plans today than 10 years ago, and those covered are paying 75 percent more.

The conclusions come from data collected this year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics about private-industry employee benefit plan participation.

The report, released earlier this month, provides the most detailed federal analysis to date of the shrinking scope of employee health-benefit coverage. Among the findings:

• In March, 45 percent of private-industry employees were covered by employer-sponsored medical insurance plans — a significant drop from 63 percent of eligible employees in 1992-93.
• Workers earning less than $15 an hour are about half as likely to be covered by employer-sponsored benefit plans as workers who earn more.
• The average employee contribution to medical insurance premiums has leaped about 75 percent for both single and family coverage since 1992-93.

The average employee now pays $228.98 a month for family coverage and $60.24 for individual coverage.

The data represent nearly 103 million of the nation's 137 million employed workers.

They do not include public employees, private-industry employees in agriculture, or the self-employed.

The data showed 45 percent of the private-sector employees participated in an employer-sponsored medical care plan; 32 percent had dental coverage and 19 percent had a vision care plan, according to the information gathered in March.

The full report is online at www.bls.gov/ncs/ebs/home.htm.