National Opinion Research Center
National Opinion Research Center
Grant Status
Completed
Project Title
Survey of Employer Health Benefits in New York, 2009
Award Amount
$200,000
Location
Bethesda, MD
Website
Date Awarded
July 15, 2009
Despite recent changes in employer health coverage across the nation caused by the weakening economy, higher unemployment rates, and rising medical costs, private employer-sponsored health insurance has not been examined in New York State since 2003. The National Opinion Research Center (NORC), one of the nation’s preeminent survey research organizations, will conduct a comprehensive health benefits survey to provide new and updated information on changes in employer-based health insurance and benefits. This survey will leverage the national Kaiser Family Foundation/Health Research and Educational Trust Employer Health Benefits Survey, allowing comparisons of New York State to the nation as well as a comparison of trends over time within the State.
The NORC survey will reveal New York employers’ current health insurance knowledge and practices, including the percentage of employers offering coverage, employees’ eligibility for coverage, and the percentage of employees enrolled in health plans. The survey will also collect information on health insurance premium rates, and the level of employee cost-sharing for co-payments, deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums, and lifetime limits. New York employers will also be asked about their knowledge of specific New York State-subsidized programs—such as Healthy NY—and the effect those programs have on their health coverage decisions. These data will reflect the extent to which employers choose to discontinue offering private insurance when public alternatives are available, a phenomenon known as crowd-out. Although the consideration of this issue is critical to advancing both State and Federal coverage policy, crowd-out has not been comprehensively studied. NYSHealth and NORC will collaborate to disseminate the survey’s findings to the State as it considers health reform options.