What's driving the downward trend in employer-sponsored health insurance?

ABSTRACT:

Objective

We investigate the factors driving the downward trend in employer sponsored health insurance (ESI) coverage between 1999 and 2002 for low- and middle-income workers, and assess their insurance options in the absence of ESI coverage.

Data

We use the 1999 and 2002 rounds of the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF), supplemented with ESI premiums from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, as well as other state- and county-level data from a variety of sources. The sample includes workers between the ages of 19 and 64.

Study design

We first estimate linear probability models of the probability of having an ESI offer and, for those with an offer, the probability of taking up ESI coverage, using two-stage least square regression on the 2002 worker sample.

SUBMITTER: Shen YC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1955312 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature