Key Facts: Workplace Coverage

Employer-Based Health Care Coverage in Utah

The emerging causes of uninsurance will hit Utah harder than other states as time goes on, again because Utah has so many small businesses. 

For reasons yet unknown, Utah’s small businesses have more difficulty affording insurance for their workers than average small businesses nationally.

 

Percent of Private Sector Establishments That Offer Health Insurance to Employees, by Firm Size, 2003
	UT	US
Firms with Fewer than 50 Employees	34%	43%
Firms with 50 Employees or More	96%	95%

Source: Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. statehealthfacts.org

No matter how much the problem of rising health care costs hurts small business owners, it probably hurts workers more.

Utah Premiums Paid by Workers Rising 5x Faster than Wages (2000-2004)

	Change in average insurance premium	Change in Average Earnings
Utah	66.3%	13.2%
U.S.	35.9%	12.4%

Source: The Lewin Group for Families USA, 2004