The Growing Share of Uninsured Workers Employed by Large Firms

October 2003 The Growing Share of Uninsured Workers Employed by Large FirmsA generally unreported phenomenon in recent years is the increasing number of U.S. workers in large firms who lack health insurance. Although large employers are much more likely than small ones to offer health coverage, recent evidence suggests that large-firm workers and their dependents comprise a significant and growing share of the working uninsured.A combination of factors seems to be responsible for falling health coverage rates within large firms: the decline in manufacturing jobs and unionization rates, restrictions placed on benefit eligibility and higher employee premium . . .