Contributions to Health Insurance Premiums: When Does the Employer Pay 100 Percent?
December 2005
Working Paper Number:
CES-05-27
Abstract
We identify the characteristics of establishments that paid 100 percent of health insurance premiums and the policies they offered from 1997-2001, despite increased premium costs. Analyzing data from the MEPS-IC, we see little change in the percent of establishments that paid the full cost of premiums for employees. Most of these establishments were young, small, singleunits, with a relatively high paid workforce. Plans that were fully paid generally required referrals to see specialists, did not cover pre-existing conditions or outpatient prescriptions, and had the highest out-of-pocket expense limits. These plans also were more likely than plans not fully paid by employers to have had a fee-for-service or exclusive provider arrangement, had the highest premiums, and were less likely to be self-insured.
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:
cost,
expenditure,
insurance,
spending,
expense,
policy,
enrollment,
coverage,
premium,
healthcare,
health insurance,
coverage employer,
insured,
benefit,
enrollee,
insurance plan,
insurer,
insurance premiums
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identified to contain references to specific institutions, datasets, and other organizations.
:
Center for Economic Studies,
National Bureau of Economic Research,
Medical Expenditure Panel Survey,
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Insurance Component
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