Texas Ranks Near Bottom for Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage

Texas is the uninsured capital of the United States. Now the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) reports Texas ranks in the basement for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage as well. This spells bad news for the state both physically and fiscally, as those who lack insurance typically enjoy far worse health status than those with insurance, and those without employee health coverage typically earn lower incomes than those with employer-sponsored insurance.
Fifty-nine percent of Texas employees and 52 percent of all Texans received some kind of health insurance through employers in 2010-11. That’s a 10 percent drop from 1999. Only neighboring states New Mexico and Louisiana report lower rates.

RWJF says the decline in coverage is a result of rising insurance premiums. Premiums for health insurance coverage for individuals rose 104 percent, while premiums for families rose 129 percent. The report also states employers shouldered most of that increase, since employees pay only 2.7 percent more for single coverage and 2.3 percent more for family coverage.