Trends in Health Insurance at Private Employers

Trends in Health Insurance at Private Employers, a statistical brief from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, describes trends in employer coverage, premiums, and deductibles from 2008 to 2018.

Highlights

• There was no statistically significant change in the overall percentage of private-sector employees covered by a health insurance plan offered by their employers between 2017 and 2018 (47.8 percent).
• Between 2017 and 2018, there was no statistically significant change in the percentage of employees working at establishments that offered insurance overall (84.6 percent in 2018) or in small (47.3 percent), medium-sized (88.0 percent), or large firms (99.0 percent).
• The eligibility rate for employees at all private-sector establishments that offered insurance increased from 76.8 percent in 2017 to 78.0 percent in 2018. In large firms, it increased from 76.6 percent to 78.0 percent. The overall and large firm eligibility rates in 2018 were higher than those observed from 2014 to 2017.
• The take-up rate at all firms declined from 73.5 percent to 72.4 percent between 2017 and 2018, and at large firms it declined from 74.5 percent to 73.3 percent. The overall and large firm take-up rates were lower than rates in almost all years in the 2008 to 2017 period.
• In 2018, average health insurance premiums were $6,715 for single coverage, $13,425 for employee-plus-one coverage, and $19,565 for family coverage, representing increases over 2017 levels of 5.4 percent for single coverage, 5.0 for employee-plus-one coverage, and 4.7 percent for family coverage.
• Average individual and family deductible levels did not increase significantly in 2018. This was the first year without a significant increase in deductible levels in the 2008 to 2018 period.

Select to access Trends in Health Insurance at Private Employers.