The annual cost of health coverage will increase 5.9 percent this year to an average of $11,664 per employee, according to researchers.
That tops the 5.4 percent growth experienced in 2011, although the survey indicates that the rate of increase is stable. The 17th annual "Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Health Care" study was conducted by Towers Watson and the National Business Group on Health.
Over the last five years, researchers report that costs have gone up about 34 percent for employers and 40 percent for workers. Employees' share of healthcare coverage costs increased 9.3 percent during 2011 alone.
"As employers try to maintain the balance between containing costs and offering competitive total rewards packages, they are realizing that their future health care benefit choices are not quite as simple as 'paying or playing,'" said Ron Fontanetta, a senior consultant at Towers Watson. "In fact, there is a wide spectrum of design choices that will allow employers to develop a health care strategy that matches their unique objectives and workforce demographics."
Many firms intend to reconsider their mix of employee benefit offerings and focus on making employees accountable for their own health, the report indicates. Companies may also revise their plans as state insurance exchanges open, researchers found.
