Report: Fewer in Mich. get insurance through work
Report: Michigan has biggest rate drop in residents getting health insurance through employers
DETROIT (AP) -- A new report shows Michigan residents lost workplace health care coverage at a greater rate than any other state over the past decade.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report released Thursday says 62.9 percent of Michiganians got their insurance through a job in 2011. That's down from 78.1 percent in 2000.
Foundation officials say higher costs translate to fewer employers offering insurance coverage and fewer employees accepting it when it's offered.
They say that's why it's vital that people have options for buying affordable health insurance that meets their needs. Researchers say factors such as decreases in overall employment and rising premium costs contributed to the declines.
The report was prepared by researchers at the University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center.
