Health Buying Club Calculates Savings

The Business Health Care Group says it believes it and its health carrier helped self-insured member companies cut health costs 4.5% per health plan member over a 2-year period.

The BHCG, Milwaukee, a group that buys health benefits for 675 southeastern Wisconsin companies, says it and Humana Inc., Louisville, Ky., the carrier, helped 18 self-insured member companies lower costs by about 14% in 2006, then helped member companies hold their annual increase to 6.1% in 2007.

Although costs rose in 2007, the BHCG increase was substantially lower than the Milwaukee average increase of about 10%, the BHGC says.

The BHGC notes that the cost change figures include only the underlying medical costs and exclude the effects of changes in benefits.