Employers say adopting the kinds of health system changes now under consideration in Congress would increase access to coverage but drive up their own benefits costs.
The National Business Group on Health, Washington, and Towers Watson & Company, New York, conducted one employer survey from November 2009 through January. The survey managers received responses from 507 employers with 1,000 or more employees to that survey.
Towers Watson also surveyed more than 1,000 large and midsize employers to gauge their views on health reform.
About 71% of the employer participants told managers of the Towers Watson-NBGH survey that they think health reform would increase access to health coverage.
But 71% said health reform would increase the overall cost of U.S. health care services, and 69% said they believe it would increase the cost of their own companies' benefit programs.
Only 35% of the employers said health reform would lead to a decrease in the number of employers offering health benefits, but 46% said they believe health reform would decrease the number of employers offering retiree medical benefits.
When Towers Watson consultants analyzed responses to the firm's own employer survey, they found that 67% of participating employers said health reform would lead to higher benefit costs, and that 54% said it would reduce their available benefits.
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