Employer-Based Health Benefits Hold Steady

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March 2, 2007 -- While the ranks of the uninsured continues to rise, the percentage of employees who are insured through their workplace has remained steady for more than a decade, according to a study released this week by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a Washington-based non-profit group.

As many as 62 percent of U.S. employees obtained health benefits from their employers in 2005, roughly the same percentage since the late 1980s, the study found.

At the same time, the share of employees working for an employer that offered a health plan has kept at about 80 percent, while those who are eligible for benefits from their employer remained about 74 percent, the study found.

Only about 4 percent of workers who were eligible for employer health benefits between 1995 and 2005 remained uninsured, having opted not to participate, the study found.

"Employment-based health benefits have historically -- and continue to be -- the most common source of insurance in the United States," Paul Fronstin, the group's research director, said in a statement.

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