Small business leaders' viewpoints on health care insurance: a marketing and social perspective.
A mail survey, which generated 270 responses from Virginia small business CEOs, reveals that the vast majority (95%) offer their full-time employees the opportunity to enroll in a health care insurance plan through their employer. The typical premium for employee-only coverage is from $75-99, and in 52% of the firms, the employer pays the entire cost. Employer-sponsored coverage of part-time employees is quite different, however, as the vast majority of the CEOs indicate a low percentage of these workers can enroll in a company health care plan, due to cost concerns. The CEOs feel hospitalization is the most important type of health care coverage to their employees as 93% rate it as being "very important" and 7% as "important." This rating is followed closely by the CEOs' perceived priority of coverage for lab and X-ray tests and for catastrophic costs, as 97% and 89%, respectively, feel these areas are "very important" or "important." In addition, over 80% of the CEOs rate three additional areas as having high importance, including prescription drugs, maternity care, and doctors visits and physicals. Overall, a generally high degree of satisfaction exists among the CEOs regarding their firm's health care insurance plan. However, while 90% feel "very satisfied" or "satisfied" regarding the coverage, and 82% feel similarly about the service, over 60% are "dissatisfied" or "very dissatisfied" regarding the cost. Regarding covering the health care costs of those who are uninsured, the CEOs feel an approximately equal role should be borne by four groups, namely the state and federal governments, employers of uninsured workers, and hospitals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
McDermott
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School of Business, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23284.
D000288:Administrative Personnel / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001290:Attitude; D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007221:Industry / Q000191:economics*; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008489:Medical Indigency; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014768:Virginia