Many organizations provide workers access to health insurance, but recent data indicates fewer employees are taking advantage of this incentive. According to a May 2012 report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) , 55.8 percent of U.S. employees were receiving health insurance from their employers as of April 2012. However, this figure represents a 5 percent decrease from December 2007, Life Inc. notes.
There are several factors that could be contributing to this trend. While some organizations hire employee benefit consultants to ensure they offer high-quality health insurance options to their employees, others promote limited options to their workers. As a result, workers may be shying away from employer-provided benefit plans.
"Employers have changed their focus to managing cost by changing the quality of the coverage that’s being provided," Paul Fronstin, director of the EBRI's health research and education program told the source. "You see more cost shifting and more employee responsibility when it comes to the cost of health care services."
The economy has played a major role in many organizations' budgets, which could be affecting employees' health insurance decisions. Fronstin told the source monthly premiums for workers' benefit plans have seen minimal increases recently, but few companies have offered significant raises to employees' wages. Many workers have considered alternatives, including affordable private plans or getting coverage through a parent, partner or spouse.
Various businesses might limit their health insurance offerings, but they could use employee benefit services to assist employees. These consultants can offer information about ways a company may reduce its expenses so it could provide top-notch health insurance options to its workers. With employee benefits experts, a company's human resource department might evaluate ways to best serve its staff's health insurance needs.
