The results of the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans indicate 50 percent of the nation's employers will shift more healthcare costs to employees next year, the Charlotte Observer reports.
Methods will include adjusting deductibles, co-pays, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximums and premiums. Employers are employing various means to reduce growing healthcare costs, such as offering incentives and implementing penalties for health behavior.
The research indicated one-third of employers were offering incentives and penalties this year, up from 27 percent in 2010 and 21 percent the year before. Incentives may include lower premiums or cash payments for employees engaging in healthy behaviors, while penalties such as higher premiums may apply to obese employees and smokers, among others.
This focus derives partly from the recognition that chronic and long-term care expenses are driving healthcare costs, and the desire to hold those costs down. Another result of the current situation has been a 9 percent increase in the number of employers offering high-deductible insurance plans since last year, the largest increase ever.
These plans mean lower payroll deductions for employees. Employers recommend workers place the amount saved into health savings accounts. These pre-tax accounts can then be used to pay for the deductibles.
