Almost two-thirds of civilian workers in the United States have access to an employer-sponsored health care plan, as well as an employer-sponsored retirement plan. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that 64 percent of American workers enjoy access to comprehensive coverage from their employer, while 15 percent have access to either a health plan or a retirement plan but not both; 20 percent have neither.
The report, Program Perspectives on Combined Benefits, found that health benefits account for more than 8 percent of workers' total compensation. Retirement accounts for 4.5 percent. These two benefits together cost represent 41.3 percent of the total cost of employee benefits, but just 12.5 percent of total compensation.
Access to both medical and retirement plans increases with pay, the survey found. About one-third of workers in the lowest 25th percentile of earnings have access to both types of plans. Workers in this percentile are more likely to have access to neither plan. In the highest three quartiles, access ranges from 67 percent of workers to 86 percent.
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The survey broke down access to both types of plans by sector.
- Managerial and professional employees – 80 percent
- Natural resource, construction and mainte-nance workers – 66 percent
- Pro-duction, transportation and material moving workers – 65 percent
- Sales and office workers – 64 percent
- Service workers – 41 percent
Full-time workers are far more likely than part-time workers to have access to both plans. Over three-quarters or workers with full-time status have access to both medical and retirement benefits, while just one in five part-time workers have access.
The report, published this month, is based on data from the Na-tional Compensation Survey: Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2009.
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