High deductible and consumer-driven employee insurance plans growing slowly but surely

The Employee Benefit Research Institute has released a new study concerning the changes seen in employee health insurance plans seen over the last year. The study shows that the changes have been relatively small, but they have had some impact on the insurance market. High deductible insurance plans are beginning to grow, according to the study, though traditional insurance plans – those with low deductibles – continue to dominate the market. The research institute claims that high deductible plans may overtake more conventional plans by the end of next year.…

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Reports suggest that employers will not be cutting back on insurance benefits due to reform

By now, the controversy surrounding the McKinsey & Co. report is well known. The report, released earlier this year, claims that the federal healthcare law, the Affordable Care Act, will leave more people without insurance than there are now. Politicians have been debating the findings of the study but there is little in the way of evidence they can offer to counter the claims therein. However, two new reports sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the largest philanthropy organization devoted to health care issues in the U.S., refutes the…

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California small group health options narrow for employees

Many California employers are making cuts to the health care providers that are listed with their insurance providers. Companies are attempting the stymie rising insurance premiums as their insurers attempt to mitigate the growing costs of medical care. Many are unwilling to outright discontinue their offering of medical benefits, however, and are opting instead for smaller scale networks that offer limited choices in terms of medical providers. This increasingly popular trend is netting some companies as much as a 25% saving in insurance costs. Nearly 21 million people are a…

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