Dive Brief:
- Cash instead of healthcare benefits? That seems to be the case for many Americans, according to a recent survey. The 2015 Health and Voluntary Workplace Benefits Survey (WBS), conducted by the non-partisan Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates, found that while many U.S. workers are happy with their current health insurance benefits, a long-term trend toward wanting more cash and fewer benefits is emerging.
- The survey found a third would change the current mix of wages and health benefits, which may reflect the growing desire for higher wages. However, the percentage of workers willing to trade wages for added health benefits rose slightly in 2015 from 12% in 2014.
- Between 2012 and 2015, the EBRI reports, the percentage of workers reporting that they are satisfied with the health benefits they currently receive fell from 74% to 66%. However, the percentage reporting that they would rather have fewer health benefits and higher wages doubled in the same time period, increasing from 10 to 20%.
Dive Insight:
The EBRI report adds that the Affordable Care Act has caused concern for employees who wonder whether employers will continue to offer health coverage. Yet, the WBS finds that when it comes to deciding where to work, benefits remain a primary factor, and health insurance in particular continues to be, by far, the most important employee benefit.
“As employers consider whether to continue offering coverage, and if they do, which options to offer in the plan, data on worker preferences will be useful for making informed decisions about the future direction of employment-based health benefits,” said Paul Fronstin, director of EBRI’s Health Research and Education Program, and co-author of the report.