Changes in Out-of-Pocket Maximum Limits for Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Plans, 1999-2003. Statistical Brief Number 128

摘要

In response to the rapid rise in health care costs and health insurance premiums over the past decade, many firms have adjusted the maximum out-of-pocket expense limit faced by employees enrolled in employer-sponsored plans. This Statistical Brief discusses changes in the percentage of employees covered by health insurance policies with various limits on their maximum out-of-pocket expenses from 1999 to 2003. The estimates shown in this brief, which are drawn from the Insurance Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS-IC), pertain to employees of firms in the private sector of the economy who are enrolled in an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. Data for employees working for small (fewer than 50 employees) and large firms (50 or more employees) are analyzed. All differences between estimates discussed in the text are statistically significant at the 0.05 level.