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Article: Employers as Agents for Their Employees.(health insurance coverage)
- Article from:
- Health Services Research
- Article date:
- October 1, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Health Research and Educational Trust. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The recent debate over the proposed patients' bill of rights reminds us of the role employers play in determining who is covered by what kind of health insurance. Nearly two-thirds of Americans under age 65 obtain health insurance through the workplace (Monheit and Vistnes 1996). Although not all employees are eligible for their firm's health insurance plans, nor do all eligible employees participate in their employer's offered health insurance, an employer's decision to offer or not offer health insurance still plays a significant role in whether workers are covered (McLaughlin 1999).
What influences an employer to offer health insurance? A frequently heard ...