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September 18, 2009 at 08:00 PM
Many employers say they will not absorb any additional costs resulting from Federal health care reform, according to a new survey.
The survey sampled views of 433 human resource and benefit executives from midsize and large U.S. organizations. It was conducted by Towers Perrin, Stamford, Conn., in July.
To avoid absorbing additional costs resulting from reform, employers say they would cut back on benefits, raise prices for customers or reduce head count.
The survey also found 89% plan to reexamine their health benefit strategies for active employees in response to the passage of health care reform legislation. (At the time of the survey, 94% of employees at the surveyed companies were eligible to receive health benefits, and 81% were enrolled in company-sponsored benefit programs, says Towers Perrin.
Employers also said they do not expect that reform as currently proposed would address some of the fundamental sources of health care costs. For example, 65% believe that health care reform will have little or no impact on consumer behaviors, according to Towers Perrin.
Cost containment was listed as the most important health care reform goal for 90% of the employers, observes Dave Guilmette, managing director of the Towers Perrin Health and Welfare practice.
Many large employers, however, “feel that current reform proposals are focused on other health care issues–such as expanding coverage and reforming certain insurance practices–and [the employers] feel they have already addressed these issues within their own workforces,” he said.
