Survey: Employers plan to shift more health costs to workers

News outlets report on new trends in health insurance for employers.

The Washington Post: "Most big employers plan to shift a larger share of health-care costs to their workers next year, according to a survey to be released Thursday. ... Meanwhile, employees at many companies can expect significantly higher premiums, deductibles and co-payments, according to the annual survey by the National Business Group on Health, a coalition of big employers, and Towers Watson, a consulting firm that advises companies on employee benefits."

Employees at large companies "have some of the most stable and comprehensive medical coverage in the nation. ... However, the new survey is a reminder that even people who are satisfied with their insurance plans cannot count on a continuation of the status quo. With or without reform, coverage at big corporations is likely to become less affordable, and it could become more restrictive" (Hilzenrath, 3/11). 

Kaiser Health News, in collaboration with USA Today, reports on "a new type of insurance that offers free care for some illnesses, such as diabetes or depression, but requires hefty extra fees for treatments deemed overused, including knee replacements, hysterectomies and heart bypass surgery. The insurance, which will be offered by five different insurers in Oregon, is the most far-reaching and potentially controversial step in an effort by employers nationally to rein in medical spending by redesigning health benefits" (Appleby, 3/11).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.