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No drop in employer-based health coverage in 2012


 

The percentage of Americans with employer-based health insurance was basically unchanged from 2011 to 2012, after dropping each of the previous 3 years, according to a survey published online Feb. 22 by Gallup.

In 2012, 44.5% of the respondents reported getting coverage from their place of employment, compared with 44.6% in 2011. That figure had previously dropped from 49.2% in 2008, Gallup said.

Survey data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index show that an increasing percentage of people are covered by government-based plans: 25.6% in 2012, compared with 23.4% in 2008. The percentage of Americans who were uninsured dropped slightly – from 17.1% in 2011 to 16.9% in 2012 – but is still higher than in 2008. Those in the "other" category may be buying insurance themselves, Gallup noted.

The Well-Being Index results come from annual telephone interviews. For 2012, the random sample consisted of 353,563 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

rfranki@frontlinemedcom.com

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