Roseland, N.J. — Feb. 4

Part-time workers who are eligible for health care benefits at large companies in the United States elect coverage at a significantly lower rate than full-time employees, according to a new study.

ADP, a provider of employee health care benefits administration services and human capital management (HCM) services, announced on Monday the findings of its Research Institute study based on data for roughly one million employees and more than two million covered lives.

According to the study, 88 percent of the full-time workforce are eligible for benefits; 77 percent of the eligible full-time employees actually selected health coverage. As a result, 68 percent of the total full-time workforce is covered by their employer's health plan.

By contrast, the part-time workforce makes up 23 percent of the total workforce, according to the study. Only 15 percent of these part-time employees are eligible for benefits, with slightly more than half (53 percent) choosing to participate, the study found. The result is that 8 percent of the part-time workforce participates in their employer's health coverage.

Moreover, the average employer within the ADP study contributed $7,225 in health premiums for each employee who enrolled in the employer's group health plans for benefit year 2012.

Source: ADP