Texas employers are turning to high-deductible health plans in increasing numbers to combat relentless cost increases in health-care and premium costs, according to a survey by the Texas Business Group on Health (TBGH).
The high-deductible plans (HDHPs) are growing in both the numbers of companies offering them and the number of enrollees.
About 28 percent of Texas companies will offer HDHPs in 2013, compared with 24 percent in 2012. They also report that they expect 25 percent of employees to be enrolled in the plans, compared with 18 percent in 2012.
TBGH surveyed 270 Texas employers in October. Those employers provide health benefits to more than 1 million people in the U.S.
Other survey results include:
- About 70 percent of respondents said they had senior-management commitment and sufficient budget to offer employs a comprehensive health and wellness program in 2013, and 85 percent said they expect to have such support by 2014.
- About 20 percent of companies said they plan to implement value-based insurance design in 2013 by waiving deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance to encourage treatment compliance conditions.
- More than 3 out of 4 said well-designed workplace wellness programs were the most effective strategies to control medical costs and to improve employee health and productivity. However, 85 percent of respondents said they agreed with the statement, “We struggle with engaging employees in wellness and healthy living offerings.”
- The most common incentives for wellness-program participation were adjusted employee premium cost sharing and cash prizes or credit toward gift cards, travel or merchandise.
- The primary means of promoting employee participation in wellness programs were internal email and print campaigns, on-site health fairs and targeted health screenings.
Marianne Fazen, president and chief executive officer of TBGH, said the survey results will help employee benefits managers in Texas and elsewhere benchmark their company strategies against those of their peers—and may also provide the encouragement some may need to implement new strategies that other Texas employers are finding quite effective.
“Employers are always interested in learning what other companies are doing to manage their employee benefits and workforce health more effectively,” she said.
Steve Jacob is editor of D Healthcare Daily and author of Health Care in 2020: Where Uncertain Reform, Bad Habits, Too Few Doctors and Skyrocketing Costs Are Taking Us. He can be reached at [email protected].
