Medical Benefits More Costly for NonUnion Workers

September 1, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) found a large gap between employee contributions required for employer sponsored medical plans between union and non-union employees.

In its National Compensation Survey on Employee Benefits in Private Industry in the US as of March 2005, the BLS found that the percent of union and non-union employees required to contribute to their medical care plans was 57% vs. 79% for single coverage and 65% vs. 92% for family coverage, according to a report on the survey.

This translated to a monthly cost of $55.71 per month for single coverage for union members and $70.80 per month for single coverage for non-union members. An even greater gap exists for monthly costs of family coverage for union and non-union members, $198.19 for union workers and $292.98 for non-union workers.

The report noted that, for employees participating in medical plans that require employee contribution for part of premiums, employers pay 90% of the premiums for single coverage for union workers and 81% of the premiums for single coverage for non-union workers. For family coverage, employers pay 84% of premiums for union employees and only 68% of premiums for non-union members.

The complete survey can be found here .

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