The U.S. Department
of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that full-time workers who participate
in a healthcare insurance plan and earn less than $15/hour are more likely than
their higher-wage counterparts to be required to make health coverage
contributions. According to the BLS report, 82 percent of full-timers in the
private sector who earn less than $15/hour and participate in a health plan must
make a contribution for single coverage, compared to 73 percent of those
earning $15 or more. There’s a similar gap for family coverage contributions: 92
percent for lower-wage earners and 84 percent for the rest.
The report also reflects that lower-wage earners
typically have to pay a greater share of the premium. They pay an average of 21
percent of the premium cost for single coverage and 34 percent for family coverage.
Higher-wage earners pay 17 percent for single coverage and 27 percent for
family. The report is online at www.bls.gov/opub/cwc/cm20071214ar01p1.htm.
The HR Management & Compliance Report: How To Comply with California Wage & Hour Law, explains everything you need to know to stay in compliance with the state’s complex and ever-changing rules, laws, and regulations in this area. Coverage on bonuses, meal and rest breaks, overtime, alternative workweeks, final paychecks, and more.