While overall health coverage in the U.S. is way up since the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance has barely budged.
According to a study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, the percentage of working-age adults with employment-based insurance only increased nominally between 2013 and 2014, from 61.9 percent to 62.2 percent.
That's a significant drop since 2000, when 70 percent of working-age adults and 67 percent of children got insurance through their employer.
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Meanwhile, the percentage of adults aged 18-64 with individually-purchased insurance increased from 9.5 percent to 14.3 percent. The percentage on Medicaid rose from 12.2 percent to 14.8 percent. And the uninsured rate dropped from 17.2 percent to 13.3 percent. Among all people, the uninsured rate dropped to 12 percent from 15.4 percent.
Clearly, the insurance mandates have worked better with individuals than employers. However, big parts of the employer mandate has been partially delayed. Starting in 2016, firms with between 50 and 100 employees will be subject to financial penalties if they do not provide insurance.
The lower the family's income, the less likely it has employer-sponsored health insurance. According to the report, 82 percent of individuals with family incomes above $75,000 have employment-based insurance. It falls to 68 percent for those with incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 have insurance through an employer; 57 percent for those between $40,000 and $50,000; 47 percent for those between $30,000 and $40,000; and 35 percent for those between $20,000 and $30,000.
The EBRI report also sheds light on what types of workers were most likely to gain insurance through PPACA.
The biggest difference came from those without jobs, whose uninsured rate dropped from 22.2 percent to 17.4 percent. But the uninsured rate among heads of family workers also dropped significantly, from 18.1 percent to 14 percent. The uninsured rate for other workers from 15.4 percent to 11.7 percent.
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