Buck: Reform Hits Health Rates

The drive to expand access to health coverage may be increasing the cost of group health coverage.

Consultants at Buck Consultants, New York, a unit of Affiliated Computer Services Inc., Dallas, include that observation in a summary of results from a recent survey of about 100 health carriers and health plan administrators.

The survey participants, whose companies provide coverage for about 95 million U.S. residents, expect the rate of increase for preferred provider organization plans to be about 11% this year and in 2010, roughly the same as it’s been this year.