MBGH Employer Survey Finds Reducing Costs and Increasing Engagement
Key 2015 Health Benefits Challenges
Top Priorities include reducing costs, avoiding 2018 excise tax
and creating effective benefits communications
According to a recent survey by the Midwest Business Group on Health (MBGH), one of the nation's leading non-profit business groups of private and public employers, over the next two years the top priority for employers is reducing benefit and health care costs.
“We conduct this employer survey each year to gain insight and better understanding of employers’ views and intentions related to their health benefits,” said Larry Boress, MBGH president and CEO. “There’s a lot of consistency among employers of all sizes and industries, especially as they plan to avoid the 2018 excise tax. However, even before the ACA was enacted, leading employers were annually evaluating and developing strategies to address employee health, costs and productivity issues impacting their bottom line.”
Survey findings
- While 64% indicated that reducing costs is a high priority, other top areas of focus include: avoiding the excise tax in 2018 (59%), creating effective benefits communications (59%), creating a culture of health (56%) and managing specialty drugs (50%).
- When asked about key issues for worksite wellness, employers’ prioritized increasing engagement in programs (64%) employee use of preventive services (44%), and providing effective weight management programs (38%).
- While most employers will continue to offer PPOs for their health plan options, 46% indicated that they have implemented cost shifting strategies such as high deductible health plans and health savings accounts, and this increases to 51% for 2015.
- Ninety percent of employers indicated their health plan designs require gateway activities for employees to access medical plans.
- When asked about plans to offer private exchanges, employers largely indicated that they will not consider this strategy through 2015 (94%). However, there is a sharp increase in consideration of this approach in 2016 (21%), 2017 (28%), and 2018 (33%).
MBGH polled more than 40 national employers in a wide variety of industries including manufacturing, financial services/consulting and health care. View survey results - Executive Summary
About the Midwest Business Group on Health
With more than 120 member organizations, the Midwest Business Group on Health is one of the nation’s leading non-profit business groups of large, self-insured public and private employers serving as a catalyst for community initiatives to improve the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of the health care delivery system. MBGH is an essential resource to support employers in effectively managing their health benefits through high-quality education, research, networking and benchmarking. MBGH is a founding member of the National Business Coalition on Health.