Working Full Time Doesnt Always Make It Easier To Get Health Insurance At The Job

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In recent weeks, millions of Americans have taken out health insurance from their companies. But for some full-time workers, especially in industries such as construction, employment-based insurance is not an option.

This gap became even more apparent as the labor market rebounded in 2021 after suffering heavy losses since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the number of full-time workers aged 19 to 64 grew 10.4 million last year, the uninsured population for this group also increased 0.6 percentage point year-over-year to 9.1%, according to Bureau registration data. .

This is partly because the occupations that have seen the largest increase in share of full-time workers over the past year were services and construction, which are less likely to provide workplace health benefits. Only about 62% of service workers and 56% of construction workers have employer-sponsored insurance.

At the same time, the share of workers in professional and managerial jobs, which have the highest employment rates, at 89% and 85%, respectively, decreased slightly last year. This also helps reduce the coverage of all permanent employees throughout the year.

Overall, more than half of Americans receive health benefits from working for their employer or family members, according to the Census Bureau. Among workers aged 19-64, this figure is 71%, although it varies by industry.

Back to public health

The Census Bureau found that in 2021 a higher proportion of full-time all-year workers had public insurance such as Medicaid, although this has not fully offset the decline in private insurance, which includes workplace health benefits.

More of these workers were able to enroll in Medicaid last year thanks to the 2020 Congressional Pandemic Assistance Package, which provides states with additional federal Medicaid money but prevents them from being excluded from beneficiaries even if their incomes are typically too high to meet requirements. Enrollments rose to 90 million in July but are expected to fall by around 15 million after the federal government lifted the public health emergency.

Improved Medicaid registrations will help lower the country's overall uninsured rate to 8.3 percent in 2021, one of the lowest rates on record.

Calm the Crisis in Employment-Based Health Insurance

While employer sponsored insurance coverage is generally considered the gold standard, certain brilliance has been achieved.

“There has been a silent crisis in employer-sponsored insurance for some time, especially for low-income workers and workers in some industries,” said Sabrina Corlett, co-director of the Center for Health Insurance Reform at Georgetown University's McCourt College. Public order.

Fewer employers are offering insurance coverage, and the policies they are offering are less stable, he said. This is especially true for small businesses not covered by the Affordable Care Act, which requires large employers to provide affordable insurance coverage.

Only 32% of private sector employers with fewer than 50 employees offered health insurance last year, according to federal data. This is 47% less than in 2000.

Meanwhile, only 69 percent of eligible full-time workers in small healthcare companies signed up for cover last year. This compares with a nearly 84 percent increase in 1997, according to federal data.

Among the largest private sector employers, supply rates have averaged 90% since enrollment began in 1996. But only 72% of full-time skilled workers applied last year, compared with 88%. in 1998

For some of these workers, even a monthly payment of 5% or 6% of their income can be too expensive, says Corlett.

Hired but still unable to pay for help

A recent Commonwealth Fund study found that many of those who work still struggle to pay for Medicare. About 29% of those who receive health benefits at work are considered uninsured because their own expenses and deductions are higher than their income.

Nonprofits consider Americans uninsured if their deductible is 5% or more of family income, or if their last year's out-of-pocket expenses were 5% or at least 10% of family income, based on family income.

"This is a major problem — people find that their health insurance plan is preventing them from getting the health care they need," said Sarah Collins, Commonwealth vice president of health insurance and access.

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