Even though most Americans still get their health coverage through employee benefits, a new survey suggests more people are obtaining these health plans through public programs like Medicare and Tricare.
According to a recent report issued by the Employee Benefit Institute, the overall rate of individuals with health coverage has increased, with approximately 82 percent of the nonelderly population having coverage in 2011. This marks only the third time since 1994 that the percentage of people with health plans expanded from the previous year.
However, there are some differences in regards to the source of these plans. EBRI says that employment-based coverage diminished to 58.4 percent among individuals under the age of 65, while public-program offerings have edged northward, accounting for 22.5 percent of the non-elderly population.
The full implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has yet to go into effect, which will require all Americans to have health insurance through their employer or their state's exchange program. Many polls suggest that employers will continue to offer employee benefit services in 2014 and beyond.
