In anticipation of the Affordable Care Acts excise tax, U.S. employers are planning to take more aggressive approaches to projected single-digit increases in health care costs by revisiting the viability of consumer-driven health plans and spousal and dependent coverage.
Employers across the country predict that their health care costs will increase by 5.2% in 2015 if they decide to maintain their current health plan structures. With modest changes, this increase drops down to 4%, according to a recent Towers Watsons survey of nearly 400 employee benefit professionals from midsize and large companies.
Meanwhile, Towers Watson finds that the rising tide of health care costs has become a main focus of executives, with two-thirds of chief financial officers and chief executive officers holding a key place in health benefit strategy discussions. Its coming down to wire for many employers to get costs down as the ACAs excise tax takes effect in 2018.
Also see:
Randall Abbott, senior consultant with Towers Watson, says that many employers are approaching the cost conversation as a balance of shareholder responsibility and social responsibility. But its not a surprise that three-quarters of employers are worried about the excise tax, commonly referred to as the Cadillac tax.
There is this impression that employers are just raising costs up, Abbott explains, but highlights they are doing it out of necessity.
They are trying to do it as thoughtfully and as responsibly as they can, and thats a constant battle, Abbott continues.
This battle, according to Towers Watsons survey, is becoming a reality for many. More and more employers are planning to incorporate consumer-driven health plans, and other high-deductible health plans, into their coverage umbrella. By 2017, more than half of respondents expect to make this plan the only option, eliminating other plans.
Inaction is not an option here, Abbott explains, while noting that account-based health options such as health savings accounts can help all interested parties realize the costs at point-of-care.
Tom Meier, vice president of product development for Health Care Service Corporation, the nations largest customer-owned health insurer, agrees that CDHPs have been growing at record rates. Trade group Americas Health Insurance Plans reports that 15.5 million Americans were covered in HSA-eligible plans a number that has tripled in the last six years.
Were seeing employers go all in on CDHPs, and I dont see that slowing anytime soon, Meier explains to EBN. Employers are going to have to revisit their plan design and likely move out of those high cost benefit designs in order to comply and get under [the ACAs excise tax] that threshold.
Currently, HCSC has more than 2 million members enrolled in CDHPs under the insurers offering, which includes five Blue Cross and Blue Shield states. Meier adds that moving from $250 preferred provider organization health plan to a full-replacement $5,000 deductible CDHP is not something that employers should rush into. He adds that HR and benefit managers can also help to alleviate some of the expected employee unrest from the change by offering resources.
As youre asking them [employees] to be the consumers of care, you have to give them the tools to survive and thrive, or else you are kind of throwing them out into the wilderness, Meier says.
Another growing trend for employees, which has been tabbed for movement in 2016 and 2017 by a third of Towers Watson survey respondents, is reducing company subsidies for spousal and dependent coverage. Also, 26% indicate they are considering excluding spousal coverage all together should they have coverage elsewhere.
Also see:
Last summer, it was reported that UPS planned to stop providing coverage to a portion of employees spouses who were able to opt into medical coverage through their own employers. First reported by Kaiser Health News, it was disclosed that more cost associated with the landmark health care law was forcing the move. Of the more than 33,000 spouses being covered, UPS said that about 15,000 could gain coverage from their current employers.
UPS said in a
While UPS declined to comment on the past spousal health plan coverage change, Paul Fronstin, director of the Employee Benefit Research Institutes health research and education program, notes that re-examining spousal coverage, as well as looking at HSA-eligible plans and health exchanges, are areas where employer interest is growing.
Fronstin adds that everything is on the table, however.