Offer, Eligibility, and Take-Up Rates of Employer-Sponsored Coverage in New York

Continuing its reporting on health insurance issues affecting New Yorkers, the United Hospital Fund (UHF) has released a data update on Offer, Eligibility, and Take-up Rates of Employer-Sponsored Coverage in New York, 2005.

Of the 2.4 million New Yorkers without health insurance, nearly 80% are employed or are dependents of working parents; this population is critically affected by the availability of employee sponsored health insurance. UHF’s report details availability, eligibility, and enrollment in employer-based insurance throughout the State, crucial data to inform efforts to target the population of working uninsured.

Especially vulnerable are low income workers, who are less likely than high-income workers to be eligible for coverage through employers, and workers in smaller firms, who are less likely than those in larger firms to be offered and eligible for coverage. Part-time workers are also vulnerable; they are the least likely to enroll in coverage that is offered by their employers and for which they are eligible.