title: Employer-sponsored insurance: how much financial protection does it provide?
abstract: The authors examine the generosity of private employer health insurance coverage using data from two large national surveys of employers. Generosity is measured as the expected out-of-pocket share of medical expenditures for a standard population, given the provisions of the coverage. On average, those covered by employer-sponsored insurance can expect to pay 25 percent of expenditures out of pocket. There is little variability across plans in this share, though plans offered by smaller employers are somewhat less generous than those offered by larger employers. Individuals who incur high costs pay a smaller share of the bill than do those with lower levels of spending. The generosity of employer-sponsored plans increased slightly in the 1990s.
authors.affiliation: Health Research and Education Trust, USA.
authors.forename: Jon R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gabel
authors.forename: Stephen H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: M Susan
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Marquis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017047:Cost Sharing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003669:Deductibles and Coinsurance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D017049:Employer Health Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D018588:Fee-for-Service Plans / Q000191:economics; D005249:Fees and Charges / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D005382:Financing, Personal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007342:Insurance Benefits / Q000639:trends; D008875:Middle Aged; D011243:Preferred Provider Organizations / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States