Most U.S. workers are satisfied with employer-provided healthcoverage, according to a new survey by the Washington, D.C.-basedNational Business Group on Health.

The report, “Perceptions of Health Benefits in a RecoveringEconomy: A Survey of Employees,” was conducted from late Maythrough early June. A total of 1,545 employees at organizationswith 2,000 or more employees responded. Respondents were betweenthe ages of 22 and 69 and receive their health care benefitsthrough their employer or union.

Higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for health care benefitsrule the roost, as most covered employees realize. But the surveyfinds that roughly one in three employees are not confident intheir ability to shop for health insurance on their own.

More than half are not confident they can purchase the same orbetter quality insurance on their own. Reports coming out after theU.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act do not bode well for employees, the reportssuggesting they may be forced to buy insurance in health insuranceexchanges.

About one in 10 employers in the United States say they'll drophealth coverage for employees in the next few years as the major provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Acttake effect. And more indicate they may do so over time, asurvey by consulting company Deloitte finds, an article in BenefitsPro reported this week.

A health insurance exchange is an online marketplace set upunder the health reform law wherein individuals and smallbusinesses can shop for health plans from private insurancecompanies. Each state's exchange is set to offer coverage beginningJan. 1, 2014. People may seek federal financial assistance whenthey apply.

There is also a third option tickling some fancies: As recapped in an articlepublished July 19 on LifeHealthPro.com, an Employee BenefitResearch Institute brief suggests the PPACA exchange system couldlead to a return to an employer-sponsored defined contributionhealth benefits system.

Under this system, employers would give a set amount of cash toemployees, the funds used by the employees to buy guaranteed-issue,mostly community-rated coverage through the exchanges.

Nearly two thirds of workers have experienced higher premiumsand out-of-pocket costs, according to the survey. The new lawmandates that, starting in 2014, any company with 50 or morefull-time employees has to provide coverage or pay a penalty.

There have been conflicting reports over howmany employers will drop coverage for employees. Deloitte's reportpredicts a lesser impact than some. Last year, consulting firmMcKinsey& Co. drew fire from when it stated 30% of respondents will“definitely” or “probably” stop offering employer-sponsored healthinsurance after 2014. According to the Deloitte survey, 9% ofcompanies expect to stop offering insurance in the next one tothree years.

But U.S. workers' satisfaction levels with employer-providedhealth care coverage has risen or remained the same compared tothree years ago, according to a survey of employees conducted bythe NBGH, a non-profit association of nearly 350 largeemployers.

The survey found that nearly two in three workers (63%) are verysatisfied with health coverage provided by their employer or union.Roughly one-third (35%) are more satisfied with their coveragecompared to three years ago, the survey found.

The survey also found that 87% of employees rate health benefitsas very important when making a decision about accepting a new jobor remaining with their employer. Fewer than 8 in 10 (78%) rateretirement benefits as very important, which is up sharply from 63%in 2007.

Only 12% are less satisfied; the remaining 53% say theirsatisfaction level has remained the same.

Thirty-nine percent of employees rank biometric screenings as avery important health benefit program, followed by exerciseprograms (31%) and on-site fitness centers (31%). Less healthyrespondents give a higher rating to programs in stress management,weight loss, and coaching, programs,

However, most employees (68%) do not believe employees should berequired to participate in a wellness program to qualify for healthinsurance. And even more (71%) don't think employers should chargeemployees more for health coverage if they don't meet specifichealth goals, the report finds.

“Employers continue to make significant investments in thehealth of their employees, even though the slow recovery has leftmany employers and the economy struggling,” states NBDH Presidentand CEO Helen Darling. “In the wake of the Supreme Court's rulingto uphold the health care reform law and a future that will includehealth exchanges where individuals can shop for and buy insurance,some employers will be carefully weighing their options.”