1997 Employee Benefits in Medium and Large Establishments — 1999-01-07

The proportion of full-time employees with medical care coverage remained fairly constant from 1995 to 1997, but more employees in medium and large private establishments were participating in non-traditional health care plans, according to a survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Just over three-fourths of full-time employees participated in employer-provided medical care plans in both 1995 and 1997, but shifts occurred in the types of plans. Non-traditional health care plans, such as health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and preferred provider organization (PPOs), covered 73 percent of the full-time employees with employer-funded medical care benefits in 1997, compared with 63 percent in 1995. From 1991 to 1997, traditional fee-for-service plan coverage of medical care participants has declined from 67 percent to 27 percent. In addition, a greater proportion of covered employees were required to contribute toward individual and family coverage in 1997 than in earlier periods.