Health Care Costs Likely to Rise for Employees
Friday, September 5th, 2008
In a recent survey conducted by Mercer Consulting, more than half of the 1,500 companies surveyed (59%) said that they planned on keeping their health care costs in check by raising the deductibles, co-pays and out-of-pocket spending limits that their employees must pay.
On average health care costs in 2009 are expected to rise about 6% for both employers as well as the workers themselves — roughly on par with last years increase.
The Mercer Group also found that
- Nearly half of the companies surveyed (47%) indicated that they encouraged their employees to enroll in plans with lower premiums and higher deductibles
- About one-in-five (19%) said they planned to offer a consumer directed health plan
- The average deductible rose from $250 to $400 per individual and $1000 to $1500 for a family
As large companies continue to reduce the amount that they contribute towards the health care expense of the employee, individual health insurance plans will continue to become a more and more attractive option for family health insurance coverage.
