Between 2000 and 2008, the percentage of California workers with employer-sponsored health insurance declined and the remaining workers started contributing more toward their premiums, according to a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study released today, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/17).
The study found that middle-income U.S. residents are losing insurance at a faster rate than lower- and upper-income U.S. residents. Three million middle-income U.S. residents nationwide lost coverage between 2000 and 2008, according to the report (Vesely, Modern Healthcare, 3/17).
California Findings
In California, the study found that the percentage of workers younger than age 65 with employer-sponsored insurance dropped from 57.9% in 2000 to 54.5% in 2008.
During the same time frame, the amount California workers contributed to their employer-sponsored coverage increased by 83%, although incomes generally remained unchanged.
The study also found that family coverage premiums in California increased by 64.8% between 2000 and 2008, compared with a nationwide increase of 55.6%.
In addition, researchers found that the percentage of Californians enrolled in public health programs increased by 2.4 percentage points from 2000 to 2008.
They also noted that California's individual insurance market increased by 1.1 percentage points, compared with an increase of 0.1 percentage points nationwide (San Francisco Chronicle, 3/17).