Majority of U.S. employers unlikely to cease offering health care benefits to workers

A nationwide survey of business executives by Crain Communications Inc about the recent federal health care reform law has found that a majority of U.S. employers are unlikely to cease offering health care benefits to their workers.

The survey, to which nearly 3,700 executives responded, was conducted among readers of Crain Communications' publications, including Workforce Management and Business Insurance, whose audiences include human resources and employee benefits professionals.

Under the health care reform law, beginning in 2014, employers with 50 or more full-time workers must offer health care coverage or pay a fine of $2,000 per full-time worker per year.

Among employers of all sizes, 52.5% strongly disagreed with the statement that it would be better for their organizations to stop offering health care benefits and pay a fine under the new law. More than 15% somewhat disagreed with the notion of dropping coverage and paying the fine. Eighteen percent somewhat agreed with the idea of dropping coverage; only 14.1% strongly believe their organizations would be better off in dropping benefits, according to the survey.

Among the largest employers—those with 25,000 or more workers—64.9% strongly disagreed with the statement that their organizations would be better off dropping health care benefits. Another 12.4% somewhat disagreed; 14.2% somewhat agreed and 8.4% strongly agreed, the survey found.

When asked whether they would continue offering health care benefits because they are critical to employee recruiting and retention, 65.7% of survey respondents strongly agreed. Another 25.6% somewhat agreed, while 5.2% somewhat disagreed and only 3.5% strongly disagreed, the survey found.

More than 61% of the 3,698 survey respondents identified themselves as responsible for the purchase and/or administration of health care benefits, while 38.7% did not have such responsibilities.

SOURCE Crain Communications Inc