The Impact of Hours of Work on Employment-Based Health Benefits
8 Pages Posted: 8 May 2006
Abstract
This paper examines changes in the distribution of workers by hours of work and the resulting impact on employment-based health benefits. The percentage of workers in the labor force employed either full time or part time tends to vary with the strength of the economy, and for various other reasons. In 2004, 17.5 percent of workers ages 18-64 were employed part time, up from 16.3 percent in 2000. The movement of workers from full-time status to part-time status has significant implications for their health benefits: In 2004, 18.6 percent of workers employed part time were covered by employment-based health benefits through their own employer in 2004, compared with 61.5 percent of full-time workers. As a result, any shift of workers from full-time to part-time status will likely lead to fewer workers with employment-based health benefits unless they obtain them from another source, such as a working spouse.
Keywords: Employment-based benefits, Health insurance coverage, Part-time employees
JEL Classification: I1, J3, J32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation