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Health Insurance Coverage for Small Employers

Source: www.nhpf.org
Topic: Health Insurance

Sort Desciption: health insurance coverage must be made more accessible to small em-. ployers. ..... increase the number of employers that offer health insurance coverage. ...

Content Inside: NHPF Background Paper April 19, 2005 Health Insurance Coverage for Small Employers Dawn M. Gencarelli, Senior Research Associate OVERVIEW â€” For workers of small employers, access to affordable health insurance coverage is a growing concern. This paper examines the problems these firms and their employees face in obtaining health insurance coverage they can afford. The degree to which these challenges become obstacles varies greatly, depending on, for instance, the size of the employer and the character- istics of its employees. Reviewed here are these challenges to access, as well as some of the efforts made through state and federal reforms to address them, including rules regarding guaranteed issue and guaranteed renewability. This paper also explores some of the more recent initiatives designed to help small employers, including group purchasing arrangements (such as association health plans) and health savings accounts. 2 NHPF Background Paper April 19, 2005 National Health Policy Forum 2131 K Street NW, Suite 500 Washington DC 20037 202/872-1390 202/862-9837 [fax] nhpf@gwu.edu [e-mail] www.nhpf.org [web] Judith Miller Jones Director Sally Coberly Deputy Director Monique Martineau Publications Director NHPF is a nonpartisan education and information exchange for federal health policymakers. Contents INTRODUCTION . 3 Table 1: Percentage of Uninsured, by Firm Size . 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF SMALL EMPLOYERS AND THEIR WORKERS . 4 Workforce Changes. 4 Size Matters . 4 OBTAINING HEALTH INSURANCE FROM AN EMPLOYER . 6 Coverage Offer Rates . 6 Figure 1: Coverage Offer Rates for Small and Large Firms, 2004 . 6 Eligibility . 7 Employee Participation . 7 A COMPLEX DECISION FOR EMPLOYERS . 7 Higher Cost, Lower Value . 8 Small Groups and Risk Profiles . 10 Tax Benefits and Employer Awareness . 11 Other Factors. 11 HEALTH INSURANCE REGULATION. 11 SMALL-GROUP MARKET REFORMS . 12 Availability of Coverage . 12 Affordability of Coverage . 13 Table 2: ...

health insurance coverage dawn m gencarelli senior research associate

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