Fewer Workers in Midwest Insured Through Employers

The percentage of workers who have access to health insurance through their employers is declining across the United States, according to a new report, and the Midwest is no exception.

The report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), “State-Level Trends in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance,” shows a statistically significant decline in the percentage of non-elderly adults with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) in 47 states and the District of Columbia over the last decade.

From 2000 through 2011, the percentage of Americans who receive health insurance through employers fell from 69.7 percent to 59.5 percent in 2011. Twenty-two states experienced decreases of 10 percentage points or more; seven of those states are in the Midwest.

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin all saw drops of 10 points or more in the percentage of workers who get their insurance through the workplace. Michigan had the steepest decline at -15.2 percent.

Researchers say factors such as decreases in overall employment and rising premium costs contributed to the declines.

The report was prepared by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s State Health Access Data Assistance Center.