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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
A Opinion Surveys on Employment-Based Health Benefits and Related Issues
The following questions were part of surveys conducted by the Gallup Organization for the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Unless otherwise indicated, responses to questions represent combined results for November and December 1991 surveys. For these surveys, IOM staff worked with Dallas Salisbury, William Custer, and Laura Bos of EBRI to develop the questions. For some questions, certain response categories have been omitted in this summary. As a result, and also because of rounding errors, the totals below may not add up to 100.
Do you currently have health care coverage through either a health insurance plan, a health maintenance organization, or a government program?
Yes
85%
Of "Yes" respondents, source of coverage (could list more than one):
Employer (own/family member) program
63
Government program
18
Purchased on own
13
Other answer
11
Have you or a family member ever passed up a job opportunity or stayed in a job you would have preferred to have left solely because of health benefits? (November 1991 survey)
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OCR for page 287
Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
A
Opinion Surveys on Employment-Based Health Benefits and Related Issues
The following questions were part of surveys conducted by the Gallup Organization for the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Unless otherwise indicated, responses to questions represent combined results for November and December 1991 surveys. For these surveys, IOM staff worked with Dallas Salisbury, William Custer, and Laura Bos of EBRI to develop the questions. For some questions, certain response categories have been omitted in this summary. As a result, and also because of rounding errors, the totals below may not add up to 100.
Do you currently have health care coverage through either a health insurance plan, a health maintenance organization, or a government program?
Yes
85%
Of "Yes" respondents, source of coverage (could list more than one):
Employer (own/family member) program
63
Government program
18
Purchased on own
13
Other answer
11
Have you or a family member ever passed up a job opportunity or stayed in a job you would have preferred to have left solely because of health benefits? (November 1991 survey)
Yes
11%
Aged 18-34
17
Aged 35-54
10
Aged 55 and over
4
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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
Which of the following best describes the reason you or your family member chose not to change jobs? (November 1991 survey)
Prospective employer did not offer health benefits
26%
You or someone in your family had a medical condition the prospective employer's health plan did not cover
9
Health benefits provided less coverage than you or a family member had previously
24
The prospective employer's health plan cost too much
19
None of these
20
For your own health care and that of your family, which of the following is your biggest concern? (December 1991 survey)
Cost
49%
Quality
36
Access and availability
12
Everything/all
1
For society as a whole, what do you think the biggest problem in health care is? (December 1991 survey)
Cost
79%
Access and availability
13
Quality
6
In the last few years, has your health insurance coverage? (November 1991 survey)
Gotten better overall
16%
Gotten worse overall
24
Which best describes your satisfaction with your health benefits? (November 1991 survey)
Satisfied
64%
Would rather have additional health benefits and less salary
20
Would rather have additional salary and fewer health benefits
7
How much more money would you or your family member's employer have to give you each year to make you willing to give up your current employer-provided health benefits? (September 1991 EBRI/Gallup survey)
0-$1,000
11%
$1,001-$3,000
19
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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
$3,001-$5,000
15
$5,001 or more
22
Don't know
29
How would you characterize your health plan? (November 1991 survey)
Most of it is too hard to understand
10%
<12 grade education
15
Some college
12
College graduate
5
Some of it is hard to understand
36
It is easy to understand
52
Does your employer offer you a choice of two or more health insurance plans or is only one plan available to you? (November 1991 survey)
Offers choice
36%
Only one plan available
36
Not applicable/no employer
26
How do you rate your current health insurance benefits?
Excellent
27%
Good
46
Fair
20
Poor
6
Don't know
3
You are confident that your employer (your spouse's employer) contracts with the best available health insurance plan(s) for its employees. (November 1991 survey)
Agree
71%
Disagree
24
Don't know
5
Many companies, insurers, and government programs have adopted measures to eliminate unnecessary expenditures on health care and to save costs by promoting cost-effective care. Have these cost management measures resulted in any of the following? (''Yes" respondents) (November 1991 survey)
Your being denied health care services you think you needed?
9%
Your experiencing unreasonable hassle or delays in obtaining health care services?
17
Your being required to receive health care services from a physician you would not have otherwise chosen?
16
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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
If your doctor recommends that you have a diagnostic test or treatment that is not covered by your health insurance, would you: (November 1991 survey)
Follow his or her advice and pay for it yourself
34%
Attempt to weigh the benefits of the recommendation against the cost before making a decision
20
Approach your employer or insurance company to see if an exception could be made
38
Does your household maintain a relationship with a physician who could be called your personal or family doctor?
Yes
76%
Male
72
Female
80
Aged 18-34
69
Aged 35-54
78
Aged 55 and over
84
Income under $20,000
70
Income $20,000 to <$75,000
79
Income $75,000 and >
83
White
78
Minority
69
In the last five years, has your household had to involuntarily change your personal or family physician?
Yes
18%
If yes to [above question], which of the following statements best describes the reason for that change? (December 1991 survey)
Doctor moved/closed practice/retired
26%
Respondent moved
15
Respondent changed jobs
15
Health plan required change/employer changed plan
17
Selected another health plan from employer
4
Other
24
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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
Which of the following groups is in the best position to make decisions about the quality of health care provided by a hospital or physician? (December 1991 survey)
Employer
10%
Individual
55
Government
32
All the same
1
Which of the following groups do you think is in the best position to influence the cost of health care? (December 1991 survey)
Employer
11%
Individual
14
Government
28
Doctor
23
Insurers
20
All the same
2
Who do you think should be most responsible for providing health benefits for full-time employees and their dependents in the U.S.? (December 1991 survey)
Employers
48%
Federal government
31
Individual
14
All the same
3
If you had the choice, which of the following organizations would you prefer to purchase your health benefits through? (November 1991 survey)
An employer
39%
A trade association, union or professional group
8
State government
5
Federal government
16
On your own
25
Do you think employers should be required to provide health insurance if the employees pay a portion of the costs? (July 1991 survey)
Yes
83%
No
16
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Employment and Health Benefits: A Connection at Risk
In general, do you strongly favor, favor, oppose or strongly oppose the implementation by the U.S. government of some type of national health insurance system? (January 1992 survey)
Strongly favor
25%
Favor
54
Oppose
14
Strongly oppose
4
Which of the following do you think is the better way to deal with our nation's health care problems? (Gallup poll for CNN and USA Today, January 28, 1992)
Reform of our current private health care system
64%
Government-sponsored national health insurance
30
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