Employers are less confident about offering healthcare benefits today compared to the previous year. Still, according to a recent poll by Watson Wyatt the majority of employers will continue to offer healthcare benefits in the years to come. Read the following excerpt to learn more.
Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA)
Despite rising healthcare costs and other economic worries, a majority of large U.S. employers remain confident they will continue to offer healthcare benefits to workers 10 years from now. However, the level of confidence has slipped from last year because of economic concerns and uncertainty over the implications of potential health care reform, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health.
According to the survey, 62 percent of employers are very confident they will continue to offer healthcare benefits 10 years from now, down from 73 percent last year. The survey also found that roughly four in 10 employers (41 percent) are sticking with their current healthcare strategy, while the remaining respondents have either revamped their strategy or expect to do so this year.
The survey of 489 large U.S. employers, conducted in January 2009, also identified a group of “consistent employers” that have maintained a long track record of lower healthcare cost increases over the past four years. These employers have outperformed other employers in five key areas: appropriate financial incentives, effective information delivery, quality care, metrics and evidence, and maximizing health and productivity.
To read the survey in full go to www.Watsonwyatt.com/research