Earlier this year, the Hartford Courant reported that, as in most of the United States, employer-sponsored health care coverage has declined in Connecticut. In 2011, about 136,000 fewer Connecticut residents had health coverage through their workplace than in 2000, according to a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In 2011, 70.9% of Connecticut residents had health insurance through their employer, compared to 79% in 2000. Nationally, the proportion of people with employer-sponsored insurance fell even more, by more than 10 percentage points. Among the reasons the article offers for Connecticut’s decline are the recession and the growth in Medicaid enrollment.
On average, from 2000 to 2011, premiums for individuals in Connecticut with employer-sponsored health insurance increased from $2,871 to $5,447; premiums for families increased from $7,125 to $15,577.
