Between December 2007 and August 2009, the percentage of individuals with employer-based health coverage dropped from 60.4 percent to 55.9 percent, and although there was slight improvement later in 2009, that figure slipped back to 55.8 percent by April 2011, according to a report from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (pdf).
Employer-based health coverage, the most common type of health insurance for middle-class and nonelderly people in the United States, has been on the decline since the late 1990s. As expected, the recession from 2007 through 2009 resulted in a loss of jobs and, therefore, health insurance, but the recent uptick in economic activity and job growth has not brought back similar figures of employer-based coverage.
Uninsured workers reported many reasons for not having coverage, and the most prevalent reason was the cost of coverage. Roughly 90 percent of uninsured workers cited high costs as the number one driver for passing on coverage, far higher than the 73 percent who said costs were the main reason in December 1995.
Employer-based health coverage, the most common type of health insurance for middle-class and nonelderly people in the United States, has been on the decline since the late 1990s. As expected, the recession from 2007 through 2009 resulted in a loss of jobs and, therefore, health insurance, but the recent uptick in economic activity and job growth has not brought back similar figures of employer-based coverage.
Uninsured workers reported many reasons for not having coverage, and the most prevalent reason was the cost of coverage. Roughly 90 percent of uninsured workers cited high costs as the number one driver for passing on coverage, far higher than the 73 percent who said costs were the main reason in December 1995.
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