"Employer Attitudes and Practices Affecting Health Benefits
and the Uninsured"
No author cited
Employee Benefit Research Institute, October 2002.
Available Online
According to this study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, what
employers think and do about providing health benefits to their workers
has a profound effect on the overall number of people with and without coverage.
The survey showed that many employers, knowing that couples often receive
coverage concurrently at their respective jobs, are sensitive to the risk
of drawing a disproportionate share of family dependents. Many of these
companies offer financial incentives to discourage enrollment in their plans.
Some employers also understand that passing on a greater share of health
coverage costs to the employees will discourage low-wage workers to forgo
with insurance. To combat this problem, some companies have experimented
with a sliding scale model for premium contributions. The EBRI concludes
that if, under current policy, the goal is to increase coverage levels,
efforts need to be made to increase employer awareness of the correlation
between providing health benefits and the success of their businesses and
to encourage employer involvement in community-wide efforts to increase
coverage levels.
