Employers play a significant role in the health insurance coverage of Americans – providing health benefits to more than 155 million nonelderly people in America1 – so their attitudes, knowledge, and experiences are important factors in health policy discussions.
This year’s survey asked employers how they view different approaches to containing cost increases and how they plan to change their health benefit plans in the near future. Employers also were asked if they have wellness or disease management programs.
- All firms, including both those that offer and do not offer health benefits, were asked to rate how effective several different strategies are in reducing the growth of health insurance costs. In most instances, the percentages rating any of the suggested strategies as “very effective” at controlling costs are relatively low, although over a quarter of large employers (200 or more workers) believe that disease management is “very effective” at controlling costs. Larger percentages (between 35% and 58%) report that each of these approaches is “somewhat effective” at controlling cost growth (Exhibit 12.1).
- Each year we ask employers whether they expect to change the contributions, cost sharing, or eligibility for health benefits in the next year.
- Forty percent of large firms (200 or more workers) say that they are “very likely” to increase the amount employees pay for health insurance next year, compared to 20% of small firms (3-199 workers) (Exhibit 12.2).
- Small percentages of firms say that they are “very likely” to increase employee cost sharing next year, with 12% saying that they are “very likely” to increase deductibles, 8% saying that they are “very likely” to increase copayments and coinsurance, and 10% saying that they are “very likely” to increase the amount that employees pay for prescription drugs. These responses do not vary significantly between small and large firms (Exhibit 12.2).
- As observed in previous years, relatively small percentages of employers report that they are likely to restrict eligibility or drop coverage altogether. Only 2% of firms say that they are “very likely” to restrict eligibility for benefits in the next year. Similarly, about 2% percent of all firms say that they are “very likely” to drop coverage in the next year. Responses to these questions vary little by firm size (Exhibit 12.2).
- Twenty-six percent of employers offering health benefits include one or more disease management programs in their health plan with the highest enrollment. Large firms (200 or more workers) are more likely than smaller firms to include disease management in their health plan with the largest enrollment (55% vs. 25%) (Exhibit 12.3)
- Twenty-seven percent of employers offering health benefits offer one or more of the wellness programs listed in Exhibit 12.5. Injury prevention programs are offered by 19% of employers, fitness programs are offered by 10% of employers, smoking cessation is offered by 9% of employers, and weight loss programs are offered by 6% of employers (Exhibit 12.5).
- Large firms (200 or more workers) are more likely to offer one of these wellness programs than smaller firms (62% vs. 26%).
Click here to continue on to Exhibit 12.1.
