Health Benefits In 2023: Premiums Increase With Inflation And Employer Coverage In The Wake Of Dobbs.

In 2023 the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family health insurance coverage was $23,968-an increase of $1,505 (7 percent) from 2022. Both single and family premiums increased faster in 2023 than in 2022, in a period of generally high inflation throughout the US economy. On average, covered workers contributed 17 percent ($1,401) of the cost of single coverage and 29 percent ($6,575) of the cost of family coverage. When compared to employers' perceptions of the number of primary care providers in their networks, a smaller share of employers believed that their provider networks had a sufficient number of mental health and substance abuse providers to provide timely access to services. One-quarter of employers indicated that their employees had a "high" level of concern with the level of cost sharing required by their plans. When asked about abortion coverage in the wake of the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, almost a third of large employers reported that their largest plan covered abortion in most or all circumstances.

Health Benefits In 2022: Premiums Remain Steady, Many Employers Report Limited Provider Networks For Behavioral Health.

In 2022 the average annual premium for family health insurance coverage was $22,463, which is similar to the $22,221 reported in 2021. On average, covered workers contributed $1,327 for single coverage and $6,106 for family coverage. Among covered workers enrolled in a plan with a general annual deductible, the average deductible for single coverage was $1,763. Almost half of large employers reported an increase from 2021 in the share of employees using mental health services. The 2022 survey asked employers about the breadth of their provider networks, especially for those using services for mental health and substance use disorders. Employers were less likely to report that their plan with the largest enrollment was very broad for mental health services than for providers overall. Fewer employers thought that their plan had a sufficient number of behavioral health providers versus primary care providers to provide timely access to enrollees.

Health Benefits In 2021: Employer Programs Evolving In Response To The COVID-19 Pandemic.

This is the second annual Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey released since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite widespread workplace disruption, the key metrics we survey remained fairly stable. Average premiums for single and family coverage each increased 4 percent-the same percentage as seen the prior year. The offer rate (59 percent) and the coverage rate (62 percent) in firms offering coverage were similar to prepandemic levels. Covered workers, on average, contributed 17 percent of the cost for single coverage and 28 percent of the cost for family coverage-also similar to prepandemic levels. At the same time, the pandemic has spurred changes to employer benefits. Employers expanded telemedicine benefits, and many made modifications to extend the scope of these benefits. Many employers also adapted wellness and biometric screening programs to better align with employees working remotely and with changes in how employees seek out health care.

Health Benefits In 2020: Premiums In Employer-Sponsored Plans Grow 4 Percent; Employers Consider Responses To Pandemic.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey is the benchmark survey of the cost and coverage of employer-sponsored health benefits in the United States. The 2020 survey was designed and largely fielded before the full extent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had been felt by employers. Data collection took place from mid-January through July, with half of the interviews being completed in the first three months of the year. Most of the key metrics that we measure-including premiums and cost sharing-reflect employers' decisions made before the full impacts of the pandemic were felt. We found that in 2020 the average annual premium for single coverage rose 4 percent, to $7,470, and the average annual premium for family coverage also rose 4 percent, to $21,342. Covered workers, on average, contributed 17 percent of the cost for single coverage and 27 percent of the cost for family coverage. Fifty-six percent of firms offered health benefits to at least some of their workers, and 64 percent of workers were covered at their own firm. Many large employers reported having "very broad" provider networks, but many recognized that their largest plan had a narrower network for mental health providers.

Health Benefits In 2019: Premiums Inch Higher, Employers Respond To Federal Policy.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2019 the average annual premium for single coverage rose 4 percent to $7,188, and the average annual premium for family coverage rose 5 percent to $20,576. Covered workers contributed 18 percent of the cost for single coverage and 30 percent of the cost for family coverage, on average, with considerable variation across firms. Fifty-seven percent of firms offered health benefits to at least some of their workers. While some larger firms reported that take-up dropped because of the elimination of the individual mandate penalty, the overall share of workers covered at their own firm (61 percent) was similar to that in recent years. Large employers reported taking a variety of steps to address the opioid epidemic over the past few years. Our findings offer some context for the role of health insurance reform in the 2020 election cycle.

Health Benefits In 2018: Modest Growth In Premiums, Higher Worker Contributions At Firms With More Low-Wage Workers.

The annual Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2018 the average annual premium for single coverage rose 3 percent to $6,896 and the average annual premium for family coverage rose 5 percent to $19,616. Covered workers contributed 18 percent of the cost for single coverage and 29 percent of the cost for family coverage, on average, with considerable variation across firms. Eighty-five percent of covered workers face a general annual deductible before they use most services, including the 29 percent of covered workers who are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan with a savings option. The share of firms covering services provided via telemedicine has increased steadily over the past several years. Nearly a quarter of large employers expect the elimination of the individual mandate to result in lower take-up in plan offerings.

Health Benefits In 2017: Stable Coverage, Workers Faced Considerable Variation In Costs.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2017, average annual premiums (employer and worker contributions combined) rose 4 percent for single coverage, to $6,690, and 3 percent for family coverage, to $18,764. Covered workers contributed 18 percent of the premium for single coverage and 31 percent for family coverage, on average, although there was considerable variation around these averages. For covered workers in small firms, 10 percent did not make a premium contribution for family coverage, while 36 percent made a contribution of more than half of their premium. The average worker contribution for family coverage has increased from $4,316 in 2012 to $5,714 in 2017. The share of firms that offered health benefits (53 percent) and of workers in those firms covered by their employers' plans (62 percent) remain statistically unchanged from 2016.

Health Benefits In 2016: Family Premiums Rose Modestly, And Offer Rates Remained Stable.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2016, average annual premiums (employer and worker contributions combined) were $6,435 for single coverage and $18,142 for family coverage. The family premium in 2016 was 3 percent higher than that in 2015. On average, workers contributed 18 percent of the premium for single coverage and 30 percent for family coverage. The share of firms offering health benefits (56 percent) and of workers covered by their employers' plans (62 percent) remained statistically unchanged from 2015. Employers continued to offer financial incentives for completing wellness or health promotion activities. Almost three in ten covered workers were enrolled in a high-deductible plan with a savings option-a significant increase from 2014. The 2016 survey included new questions on cost sharing for specialty drugs and on the prevalence of incentives for employees to seek care at alternative settings.

Health Benefits In 2015: Stable Trends In The Employer Market.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2015, average annual premiums (employer and worker contributions combined) were $6,251 for single coverage and $17,545 for family coverage. Both premiums rose 4 percent from 2014, continuing several years of modest growth. The percentage of firms offering health benefits and the percentage of workers covered by their employers' plans remained statistically unchanged from 2014. Eighty-one percent of covered workers were enrolled in a plan with a general annual deductible. Among those workers, the average deductible for single coverage was $1,318. Half of large employers either offered employees the opportunity or required them to complete biometric screening. Of firms that offer an incentive for completing the screening, 20 percent provide employees with incentives or penalties that are tied to meeting those biometric outcomes. The 2015 survey included new questions on financial incentives to complete wellness programs and meet specified biometric outcomes as well as questions about narrow networks and employers' strategies related to the high-cost plan tax and the employer shared-responsibility provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

At least half of new Medicare advantage enrollees had switched from traditional Medicare during 2006-11.

With ongoing interest in rising Medicare Advantage enrollment, we examined whether the growth in enrollment between 2006 and 2011 was mainly due to new beneficiaries choosing Medicare Advantage when they first become eligible for Medicare. We also examined the extent to which beneficiaries in traditional Medicare switched to Medicare Advantage, and vice versa. We found that 22 percent of new Medicare beneficiaries elected Medicare Advantage over traditional Medicare in 2011; they accounted for 48 percent of new Medicare Advantage enrollees that year. People ages 65-69 switched from traditional Medicare to Medicare Advantage at higher-than-average rates. Dual eligibles (people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid) and beneficiaries younger than age sixty-five with disabilities disenrolled from Medicare Advantage at higher-than-average rates. On average, in each year of the study period we found that fewer than 5 percent of traditional Medicare beneficiaries switched to Medicare Advantage, and a similar percentage of Medicare Advantage enrollees switched to traditional Medicare. These results suggest that initial coverage decisions have long-lasting effects.

Health benefits in 2014: stability in premiums and coverage for employer-sponsored plans.

The annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey found that in 2014 the average annual premium (employer and worker contributions combined) for single coverage was $6,025, similar to 2013. The premium for family coverage was $16,834--3 percent higher than a year ago. Average deductibles and most other cost-sharing amounts were similar to those in 2013. On average, in 2014 covered workers paid nearly $5,000 per year for family health insurance premiums, and 18 percent of covered workers were in a plan with an annual single coverage deductible of $2,000 or more. Fifty-five percent of employers offered health benefits in 2014, similar to 2013. The Affordable Care Act has not yet led to substantial changes in the employer-based market. However, the next few years could present a different picture as delayed provisions and other changes take effect. This year's survey included new questions on firms' policies related to enrolling spouses and dependents, enrollment in private exchanges, and the use of narrow networks and financial incentives for wellness programs.

Health benefits in 2013: moderate premium increases in employer-sponsored plans.

Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums rose moderately in 2013, the annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust (Kaiser/HRET) Employer Health Benefits Survey found. In 2013 single coverage premiums rose 5 percent to $5,884, and family coverage premiums rose 4 percent to $16,351. The percentage of firms offering health benefits (57 percent) was similar to that in 2012, as was the percentage of workers at offering firms who were covered by their firm's health benefits (62 percent). The share of workers with a deductible for single coverage increased significantly from 2012, as did the share of workers in small firms with annual deductibles of $1,000 or more. Most firms (77 percent), including nearly all large employers, continued to offer wellness programs, but relatively few used incentives to encourage employees to participate. More than half of large employers offering health risk appraisals to workers offered financial incentives for completing the appraisal.

Association of vaccine-related attitudes and beliefs between parents and health care providers.

OBJECTIVES: Health care providers influence parental vaccination decisions. Over 90% of parents report receiving vaccine information from their child's health care provider. The majority of parents of vaccinated children and children exempt from school immunization requirements report their child's primary provider is a good source for vaccine information. The role of health care providers in influencing parents who refuse vaccines has not been fully explored. The objective of the study was to determine the association between vaccine-related attitudes and beliefs of health care providers and parents. METHODS: We surveyed parents and primary care providers of vaccinated and unvaccinated school age children in four states in 2002-2003 and 2005. We measured key immunization beliefs including perceived risks and benefits of vaccination. Odds ratios for associations between parental and provider responses were calculated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Surveys were completed by 1367 parents (56.1% response rate) and 551 providers (84.3% response rate). Parents with high confidence in vaccine safety were more likely to have providers with similar beliefs, however viewpoints regarding disease susceptibility and severity and vaccine efficacy were not associated. Parents whose providers believed that children get more immunizations than are good for them had 4.6 higher odds of holding that same belief compared to parents whose providers did not have that belief. CONCLUSIONS: The beliefs of children's health care providers and parents, including those regarding vaccine safety, are similar. Provider beliefs may contribute to parental decisions to accept, delay or forgo vaccinations. Parents may selectively choose providers who have similar beliefs to their own.

Are Recent Medical Graduates More Skeptical of Vaccines?

Rates of delay and refusal of recommended childhood vaccines are increasing in many U.S. communities. Children's health care providers have a strong influence on parents' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about vaccines. Provider attitudes towards immunizations vary and affect their immunization advocacy. One factor that may contribute to this variability is their familiarity with vaccine-preventable diseases and their sequelae. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of health care provider year of graduation with vaccines and vaccine-preventable disease beliefs. We conducted a cross sectional survey in 2005 of primary care providers identified by parents of children whose children were fully vaccinated or exempt from one or more school immunization requirements. We examined the association of provider graduation cohort (5 years) with beliefs on immunization, disease susceptibility, disease severity, vaccine safety, and vaccine efficacy. Surveys were completed by 551 providers (84.3% response rate). More recent health care provider graduates had 15% decreased odds of believing vaccines are efficacious compared to graduates from a previous 5 year period; had lower odds of believing that many commonly used childhood vaccines were safe; and 3.7% of recent graduates believed that immunizations do more harm than good. Recent health care provider graduates have a perception of the risk-benefit balance of immunization, which differs from that of their older counterparts. This change has the potential to be reflected in their immunization advocacy and affect parental attitudes.

Health benefits in 2012: moderate premium increases for employer-sponsored plans; young adults gained coverage under ACA.

Health care premiums rose moderately for single and family employer-sponsored coverage this year, the 2012 annual Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) Survey of Employer Health Benefits found. Even with the lingering effects of the recession, cost-sharing levels remained relatively stable in 2012. Also remaining stable was the rate at which employers offered coverage, according to the survey, which was based on telephone interviews with 2,121 public and private employers contacted from January through May 2012. The average annual premiums in 2012 were $5,615 for single coverage and $15,745 for family coverage, an increase of 3 and 4 percent, respectively, from 2011. The percentage of firms offering health benefits, 61 percent, was similar to last year's, as was the percentage of workers at offering firms who were covered by their firm's health benefits, 62 percent. One noteworthy change, because of a provision of the Affordable Care Act, is that 2.9 million young adults who would not otherwise have been enrolled in a parent's employer-sponsored health insurance were covered by that insurance in 2012.

Medicaid expansion under health reform may increase service use and improve access for low-income adults with diabetes.

Medicaid's key role in financing diabetes care will grow when many low-income uninsured people with diabetes gain eligibility to the program in 2014 under the Affordable Care Act. Using a national data set to describe current health care use and spending among the nonelderly, low-income adult population, we found that adult Medicaid beneficiaries with diabetes had total annual per capita health expenditures more than three times higher ($14,229 versus $4,568) than those of adult beneficiaries without diabetes. At the same time, Medicaid facilitates financial protection and care access among beneficiaries with diabetes. Low-income adults with diabetes who were uninsured used fewer services, spent more out of pocket, and reported worse access than did their peers who were covered by Medicaid. Uninsured adults with diabetes who gain Medicaid coverage under health reform are likely to enter the program with unmet needs, and coverage is likely to result in both improved access and increased use of health care.