Employer sponsored coverage stable but states vary

Between 2014 and 2015, overall US rates of private employers offering health coverage did not change, but rates decreased among small firms and rose among large firms, according to a new analysis by SHADAC. States continued to vary considerably in private sector offer rates. Nationally 47.5% of all private sector workers are enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) in 2015, but ERC states varied from 41.9% (VT) to 51.7% (DE). That rate is a combination of the percent of private establishments that offer health coverage, the percent of workers who are eligible, and the percent who accept, or “take up”, the offer. The number of private sector workers in high-deductible health plans continued its climb reaching 39.4% across the country in 2015. Again states varied significantly from New Hampshire with the highest rate of private sector workers with high-deductible plans to Hawaii with the lowest rate. The analysis also includes premium costs as well as employee and employer shares. SHADAC includes state-specific fact sheets in their report.