United Benefit Advisors and PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. have released separate survey reports that show how eager plan sponsors are to control claims costs.
Researchers in the New York office of PricewaterhouseCoopers have released a report based on interviews with executives at 100 large, multinational corporations.
Although some surveys have shown that the biggest companies have had better luck at holding down health care costs than smaller companies have, 43% of the executives surveyed said their companies’ profits have suffered over the past year as a result of increased health costs, PricewaterhouseCoopers researchers say.
About 15% of the executives said health care costs are discouraging their companies from hiring permanent employees.
The PricewaterhouseCoopers researchers found that 87% of participants believe companies should continue to provide health benefits, but the percentage who said “employees who exhibit unhealthy behaviors” should pay a larger share of their health benefit costs has increased to 62%, from 48% in 2005.