Employees at smaller companies were less likely to have access to health insurance as part of their employee benefits and compensation in March than those at larger businesses.
About 57 percent of those employed at businesses with fewer than 100 workers had access to coverage, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), compared to 89 percent of those employed at firms with at least 500 personnel. The portion of the cost of individual health insurance coverage was relatively similar for all those studied, but smaller companies generally required employees to pay a greater share of the premiums for family coverage.
Small businesses assumed only 63 percent of family coverage premiums, compared to an average of 77 percent at large ones. State and local government employers were generally found to pay more of their workers' premiums than private organizations, though the gap was smaller for family coverage than individual policies.
Many hope that the effects of the individual insurance mandate and state healthcare exchanges will make coverage more affordable for everyone. Higher enrollment and help with shopping for insurance options may prove beneficial in that regard.
Retirement findings
BLS also reported that retirement benefit availability followed a similar pattern, growing more common at larger employers and public employers. A higher percentage of eligible workers enroll among those working for some level of government.
Employers may find that educational efforts, automatic plan features and other changes are helpful in improving participation rates and levels, drawing employees more fully into their benefit or retirement programs. Larger employers have always had certain advantages, namely a lower administrative cost per person because of their size. Innovations and changes in the healthcare market may help small companies do more for their workers despite lacking that edge.
