N.Y. Nonprofit Groups Expand Health Coverage

By Heather Joslyn

More New York City nonprofit organizations provide health insurance to their employees than did four years ago, but more groups are also asking those workers to pay for part of their coverage, according to a new survey by the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York.

The committee, an umbrella group of charities in the city, last month released its first survey of its member organizations since 2001. The study found that 219 of the 228 respondents provide health coverage to full-time workers, compared with 258 of 281 respondents in the previous survey. About half the organizations -- 110 groups -- reported in the new survey that they also require employees to contribute financially to the cost of the insurance, compared with 84 in 2001.

Of the employers that require workers to pay for part of their coverage, the largest number, 36, said they charge from 10 to 20 percent of the insurance premium. In 2001, only 20 employers said they charged workers from 10 to 19 percent of the premium.

The percentage of New York nonprofit employers that offer health coverage to part-time workers also increased, according to the survey. The survey found that 113 offer insurance to part-timers, compared with 109 of the respondents four years ago.

The organization sent out questionnaires to 1,100 of its 1,350 members and received data it could use from 228 organizations.

More Retirement Funds

Other noteworthy results from the survey:

• More nonprofit organizations now offer their workers a retirement savings plan than did four years ago. In the new survey, 206 of the respondents said they offer such a plan, representing 90.3 percent of the total, compared with 225, or 80.3 percent, in 2001. Roughly the same percentage of organizations in both surveys -- just under three quarters of those that offered such plans -- said they make contributions to their workers' retirement funds.
• Flexible spending plans that allow workers to save pre-tax earnings to cover medical or dependent-care expenses are gaining in popularity among New York nonprofit employers. In the new survey, 118 of the respondents said they offer their employers such plans, compared with 114 four years ago.
• One hundred ninety-three organizations said they have a written personnel manual, compared with 205 in 2001, a jump to 84.6 percent from 73.4 percent four years ago.

The results of the survey show that nonprofit employers are becoming more businesslike, says Marcia Brown, director of programs at the Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York. "When we started doing labor workshops, people would say, 'We don't need any formal policies, everyone is friends here,'" says Ms. Brown, whose organization was founded in 1984. "But even the smallest nonprofits have a manual now."

The employee-benefits survey is available free to members of the committee. The data are available on the committee's Web site (http://www.npccny.org) or from Ms. Brown at the committee, 1350 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, N.Y. 10018; (212) 502-4191, extension 27.