A recent national consumer survey by Kelton Research indicates less than 50 percent of employees with employer-based health insurance coverage know how much of their salary goes into premium payments.
The survey found employees generally lack knowledge about their own plans and coverage, and more than half tend to stay with the same plan as before during open enrollment, regardless of the available offerings.
Despite the fact that more than 4 out of 5 believe they are better suited to choose their coverage than their employer, less than half review their own health insurance costs annually.
The lack of knowledge and due diligence on the part of employees indicates businesses may be justified in pursuing efforts to educate their workers. The majority did not know how much they payed toward their dependents' monthly premiums, how high their own deductible was or how much their employer contributed toward either amount.
Human resources departments and management personnel may be able to remedy the situation, at least partially, through coordinated efforts to communicate with workers and engage them in the process of benefit plan selection.
