http://ofhs.osu.edu
Ohio Employer Health Survey
In 2010 the Ohio Family Health Survey Team conducted the Ohio Employer Health Survey. The purpose of the Ohio Employer Health Survey (OEHS) is to examine the characteristics of employing firms who offer and do not offer health insurance benefits and wellness plans to workers. The main topics for the OEHS include employee-sponsored health insurance status, benefit package characteristics, employee health assistance offerings, financial burdens health benefits pose to employers, and firm demographics (e.g., size of firms, annual revenues, geographic location, and industry type – such as manufacturing, service, or commercial). The OEHS sampled size of 2,289 representative firms and conducted qualitative interviews of employers. This sample size will enable reliable estimates on findings within Ohio’s geographic regions – southeast, southwest, northeast, northwest and central Ohio. These data will be used to determine the overall and regional burdens health care benefits place upon Ohio businesses. Particular attention will be placed upon variations of health benefit offerings between small firms (<51 employees), medium-sized firms (100-500), and larger firms. Additionally, as a companion survey to the 2008 and 2009 versions of the Ohio Family Health Survey, these data will be matched against information provided by households concerning employer-sponsored insurance and health benefits.
The OEHS survey utilized a methodology that is similar to that used for the national Medical Expenditure Panel Survey – Insurance Component. It randomly selected businesses from a list maintained by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services within strata defined by business size (2-10, 11-49, 50-249, and > 250 employees) and county type (Appalachia, rural non-Appalachia, metropolitan, and suburban). Businesses were contacted by phone and the most informed individual was asked to complete five screening questions to assess the basic characteristics of the business and whether it offers insurance coverage to employees. Questionnaires were then be sent to the firms. Firms not responding by mail were contacted by telephone and extended the opportunity to respond by phone. All firms participating in the survey were sent an individual report comparing their responses compares to those of similar firms. Qualitative interviews will be conducted for a representative sampling of the responding firms to gain nuisance and context to main themes and problems detected from quantitative data.
Four versions of the survey have been drafted for different segments of employers, and can be found below.
| Firm offers health insurance to its employees |
Firm does not offer health insurance to its employees |
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| Firm size less than 50 employees |
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| Firm size 50 or more employees |
Survey |
The three main benefits of the 2009 OEHS will be to: (1) provide data that will address the health care reform needs of Ohio’s business community; (2) provide firm-oriented data as a match to the findings of the 2008 and 2009 Ohio Family Health Survey – enabling comparisons of health system dynamics experienced by businesses to the dynamics experienced by workers; and (3) providing data and information that uniquely address how varying types and sizes of firms are addressing the stressors related to employer-sponsored health care.
This first survey will provide valuable information and set a benchmark from which to track trends overtime. Periodically repeating this survey will allow for tracking of those trends.
OEHS findings can be found at: 1) full report. 2) Brief 3.) Powerpoint presentation
