Only 34% of U.S. workers at LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet had employer-provided health insurance in 2018, and only 7% covered any dependents. The premiums on the employer plans are often unattainable for the low wage workers, and those who do enroll face high deductibles (between $1,300 and $4,000 in 2018) and co-pays that also limit the care they are able to access. In order to better understand the impacts of the current employer healthcare on our members’ lives, in 2019 UNITE HERE conducted a survey of 2,240 out of approximately 14,000 airline catering workers employed by LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet. Respondents are from 21 airports in 15 states and primarily serve American, Delta and United, among other airlines.
Some key findings:
- 21% rely on government-funded programs for their own medical care. Of parents with children under age 26, 42% reported kids on government-funded programs for medical care.
- 25% are uninsured. Of parents with children under age 26, nearly one in six reported uninsured kids.
- 26% of respondents reported skipping or delaying care, prescriptions, or medical treatment for themselves or their families in the past 12 months because of the cost their family would have to pay.
- 12% of respondents reported that they or a family member have traveled to other countries to receive medical care there instead of in the United States.
- 33% of respondents reported medical debt, nearly half of whom owe over $1,000.
- 56% of respondents reported having gone to work sick, 66% of whom because they could not afford to miss time.
- 10% of respondents reported their household has received food stamps (SNAP) in the past year.
- 64% identified as immigrants to the United States.
Page 2 in this pdf summarizes the percentage of respondents who rely on government-funded programs or are uninsured in each city surveyed.
