Show me the money, not the bennies.

OK… that’s not what everyone is saying, but more people are expressing that sentiment than in the past.

A new survey suggests that workers are increasingly prioritizing wages over health care benefits.

The poll of 1,500 employees by Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald & Associates found that a fifth said they would happily reduce their benefits package in exchange for higher pay.

That might not seem like a big percentage, but it’s twice the number who said the same thing in response to a similar survey in 2012.

“I do these surveys all the time, and it’s rare where you see things change that quickly,” Paul Fronstin, director of the health research and education program at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, told Kaiser Health News.

In contrast, 14 percent of workers said they would forfeit some money in exchange for better benefits.

Fronstin explained that younger workers care less about health benefits than their elders. However, another recent survey showed that young people are nearly as likely as older workers to say that health benefits are an important factor in deciding whether to take a job.

Consistent with other surveys, the EBRI poll showed that most workers are generally happy with their health care coverage. Twelve percent said they were “extremely” satisfied, while 38 percent said they were very happy. Forty-one percent said they were “somewhat” satisfied, leaving only 9 percent who were apparently unsatisfied.

Although many employees appreciate being able to customize their insurance plan, only 17 percent say they would prefer for their employer to simply give them the money to buy their own plan.

Instant Insights /

More workers willing to sacrifice benefits for wages

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