WASHINGTON, DC — April 5, 2012
Seventy-three percent of state and local government employees with health benefits have fee-for-service plans (mostly, preferred provider organizations) while the remaining 27 percent are enrolled in health maintenance organizations (HMOs). These data are from the recently released U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report National Compensation Survey: Health Plan Provisions in State and Local Government in the United States, 2011. This report presents estimates on the detailed provisions of employer-provided health plans in state and local government in 2011, featuring information on:
– medical care benefits,
– fee-for-service plans,
– health maintenance organizations,
– selected benefits by type of plan,
– high deductible and non-high deductible health plans,
– mental health care and substance abuse treatment benefits,
– outpatient prescription drug benefits,
– dental care benefits, and
– vision care benefits
Under the National Compensation Survey (NCS) program, information on the incidence and provisions of benefits is published in stages. An earlier report provided March 2011 NCS data for civilian, state and local government, and private industry workers on the incidence of (access to and participation in) selected benefits and detailed provisions of paid holidays, life insurance plans, and some other benefit plans, as well as on employer and employee shares of contributions to medical care premiums and their average amounts. Data for civilian, private industry, and state and local government workers for March 2012 will be issued later this year. Detailed health plan provision tables for private industry are scheduled to be published in the winter of 2012-2013.
For more information on these data and recent and historical NCS benefits data visit bls.gov/ebs, or contact the NCS information office at 202.691.6199 or NCSinfo@bls.gov.
About the Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate essential economic information to support public and private decision-making. As an independent statistical agency, BLS serves its diverse user communities by providing products and services that are objective, timely, accurate, and relevant.
About the National Compensation Survey
The National Compensation Survey is an on-going comprehensive employer-based survey of approximately 10,800 establishments conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCS is an umbrella program that produces data on several topics including benefits, wages, and compensation cost trends. One of its outputs—the Employment Cost Index (ECI)—is a principal federal economic indicator. The ECI measures the percent change in the cost of wages and benefits. Another output is the Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC). The ECEC provides costs for wages and individual benefits on a cost per hour worked basis. In addition to the reports and websites mentioned in this release, the Compensation and Working Conditions Online Journal contains short articles on various compensation topics including health and retirement benefits. Another publication, Program Perspectives, focuses on one benefit topic per issue.