WASHINGTON—Union workers are much more likely to get health insurance from their jobs than nonunion workers, according to a study by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released Oct. 6. As of March, it found, 94% of union workers had access to “an employer-provided medical-care plan,” and 76% participated in one.
In contrast, 67% of nonunion workers had access to insurance through their job, and only 48% actually got it.” Union workers who could get insurance coverage from their employer were also more likely to take it, at 81% versus 72% for nonunion workers. The study also found a sharp class disparity on who gets insurance: Among employees whose wages are in the lowest quartile, 37% were offered health insurance and 23% took it, while 93% of those in the top wage quartile had access to coverage and 73% participated in their employer’s plan. Part-time workers had by far the lowest rate of coverage, with only 19% having access to coverage through their jobs and 12% getting it. Read more
