Uninsured Rose in 2003 as Number of Americans with Employment-Based Health Benefits Declined
12 Pages Posted: 18 Oct 2004
Abstract
This paper provides an early look at the effect of a relatively weak labor market, combined with rising health benefit costs, on the number of Americans who have employment-based health benefits, who are covered by public programs, and who are uninsured. Initial findings indicate that the decline in the percentage of Americans with employment-based health benefits was due to erosion of coverage among both workers and nonworkers. In response to the weak labor market and rising health benefit costs, small employers either dropped health benefits or required workers to pay more for health benefits when they were offered. These trends should be expected to continue or accelerate as long as the labor market remains weak and the cost of providing health benefits continues to increase.
Keywords: Employment-based benefits, Health insurance coverage, Uninsured
JEL Classification: I11, J1, J33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation