Note on Employer-Provided Health Insurance

This note provides an overview of the role of employers, carriers, and consumers in the private health insurance market in the U.S. The first three sections provide an overview of the history of employer-based health insurance, cost trends, and types of plans available in the market today. The fourth and fifth sections focus on employer decisions regarding selecting, financing, and purchasing health insurance. The next two sections contain information on carriers – how they price plans and what market segments they target. The final section is an overview of consumerism in health care today.