Three million fewer Americans under the age of 65 received health insurance through employers in 2007 than in 2000, according to a report from the Economic Policy Institute in Washington.
The number of individuals receiving employer-sponsored health insurance from their own or a family member’s employer has declined for seven years straight, to 62.9% of the under-65 population in 2007 from 68.3% in 2000, according to the report.
The report, “The Erosion of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance,” attributed the growing uninsured population across the country to declines in employer-sponsored health insurance. Despite a slight gain in the number of U.S. individuals under 65 with health insurance in general from 2006 to 2007, the overall uninsured population has expanded by 4 million individuals since 2000.
Public health insurance, as opposed to private, non-group coverage, is the predominant alternative to employer-provided coverage that has been cut, especially for children. Employer-sponsored health insurance for children through their employed parents dropped 6.4% between 2000 and 2007, affecting 3.4 million kids. However, coverage for children through Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program increased by about 7%.
According to the report, no category of worker has escaped losses in employer-sponsored health insurance since 2000, with every race, education level and work status experiencing declines. Hispanic workers experienced a 3.4% decline in employer coverage, compared with a 2.7% drop for black workers and 3.2% decrease for white employees.
College-educated workers experienced a 2.6% drop in coverage from 2000 to 2007, compared with a 6.3% drop by high school-educated workers. Full-time employees saw a 3.3% drop in coverage, whereas part-time employees saw a 5.9% drop in coverage.