TRENDS: Enrollment in employer-sponsored health insurance declining

In 2015, 48 percent of employees in the private sector were enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance, according to data from the federal government’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS).  This percentage has been dropping in a straight-line fashion since 2008 (the earliest year in this data source), when 54 percent were enrolled.  Not surprisingly, the data show that employees in large firms are much more likely to be enrolled in employer-sponsored health insurance than those in small firms.  However, regardless of the size of the firm, the data from 2008 to 2015 show a decrease.

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• Authoritative government agency data source (MEPS is a survey conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – AHRQ)
• Free full text document
• Data plus narrative explanation of trends

Source: Miller, G.W., Vistnes, J., and Keenan, P. (2016, July). Results from the 2015 MEPS-IC private-sector national tables. Statistical Brief, 492, 5.  Click here for free full text:  https://meps.ahrq.gov/data_files/publications/st492/stat492.pdf  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org