- US employers expect a sharper increase of 5.4% in 2023 -- and
faster cost growth in the years ahead seems likely
- For now, most employers are prioritizing enhancing benefits to
attract and retain workers over cost-cutting; enhancements range
from adding perks to improving healthcare affordability
- Mental health remains a top concern of employers and employees
– and virtual mental healthcare is proving key to improving access
to services
The average per-employee cost of employer-sponsored health
insurance rose by 3.2% in 2022, according to Mercer’s 2022 National
Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, released today (Fig 1).
Last year saw a spike in cost growth (to 6.3%) as individuals
caught up on healthcare needs delayed as a result of the pandemic.
While this year’s increase may seem like a return to normal trend,
it is far below general inflation, which is averaging about 8% for
2022. Typically, health benefit cost growth runs higher than
general inflation. According to Sunit Patel, Chief Health Actuary
at Mercer, 2022 is an anomaly because employer health plan sponsors
haven’t felt the full impact of inflation yet.
“In the healthcare sector, higher wages, labor shortages, and
consolidation will almost certainly result in higher prices,” Patel
said. “One reason cost growth lagged inflation this year is because
healthcare providers typically have multi-year contracts with
health plans. So although employers did not feel the full brunt of
inflation immediately, it’s very likely that inflation-driven cost
increases will phase in over the next few years as contracts are
renewed.”
Employers did project a higher average increase for next year --
5.4% -- and Patel cautions they should be prepared for continued
accelerated cost growth in 2024 and beyond.
Total health benefit cost per employee reached $15,013 on
average in 2022, with small organizations (50-499 employees)
reporting slightly higher costs than large organizations (500 or
more employees). While large employers generally offer richer
benefits than small employers, most are able to self-fund their
medical plans (saving on insurance company risk charges), and they
typically have more resources to devote to health program
management.
Keeping healthcare affordable
Cost growth may be on the rise, but employers continue to face a
tight labor market and are well aware that healthcare benefits
weigh heavily in employment decisions. Mercer’s survey asked
employers to rate their strategic priorities for their benefits
programs for the next few years. Prior to the pandemic, employers
most often prioritized cost-management strategies; this year
“enhancing benefits to improve attraction and retention” topped the
list, with 84% of large employers rating it important or very
important). Also high on the list were “adding programs/service to
expand access to behavioral healthcare” (73%) and “improving
healthcare affordability” (68%).
In today’s inflationary environment, with many employees
concerned about their ability simply to cover their monthly bills,
affordable healthcare is even more critical. In a recent Mercer
survey of over 4,000 US employees, 68% said they feel challenged in
getting needed healthcare, and the most common challenge cited was
being able to afford healthcare expenses that aren’t covered by
insurance.
Given the focus on affordability, it is not surprising that,
despite expectations of higher healthcare costs, most leaders are
avoiding “healthcare cost shifting,” or giving plan members more
responsibility for the cost of health services through higher
deductibles or copays; there was little change in the median amount
of these cost-sharing features in 2022. The survey also found
employers are continuing to back away from offering a
high-deductible account-based plan as the only option, particularly
among the very large organizations (20,000 or more employees) that
had been the fastest to adopt this so-called “full-replacement”
strategy. Just 9% of these employers now offer a high-deductible
plan as the only option at the largest worksite, down from 13% in
2021, and 22% four years ago in 2018.
In addition, more of these very large employers used
salary-based premiums in 2022 (34%, up from 29% in 2021), by which
lower-wage workers see smaller paycheck deductions for health
coverage than those with higher salaries.
“The affordability issue cuts both ways. Employers will be
challenged to absorb the higher costs coming down the pike, but
they also know some people will forego important care when they
feel they can’t afford it,” said Tracy Watts, National Leader for
US Health Policy, Mercer. “Particularly with inflation putting
added stress on household finances, budget concerns need to be
balanced with the downstream implications of healthcare
affordability. So the focus now is on strategies to rein in cost
growth without shifting the cost to the employee.”
How employers are managing cost without shifting the cost to
employees
The survey found that about a third of all large employers (35%)
– and more than half of very large employers (53%) – say that
steering employees to high-performing provider networks and other
sources of high-value care is an important strategy for them. More
than a third of very large employers (36%) offer a telephonic
navigation and advocacy service to help members find the right
provider based on quality and cost, and 17% offer a digital
navigation tool.
One of the biggest health benefit cost drivers is high-cost
specialty drugs, such as those used to treat complex medical
conditions like cancer and autoimmune disorders. Large employers
reported that spending on specialty drugs rose by nearly 10% in
2022, and still higher increases are expected as more breakthrough
gene and cellular therapies enter the market, with the FDA
estimating that by 2025 it will be approving 10 to 20 gene and cell
therapy products per year. Over a third of large employers (34%)
say they will add or enhance stop-loss protection (a form of
insurance for large claims for self-funded employers) in
anticipation of an increase in very large claims, and about a
fourth will work with their carriers and pharmacy benefits managers
on cost and clinical management strategies.
Virtual mental healthcare is a bright spot
Growth in virtual mental healthcare is part of a larger trend:
Employers are adding many types of virtual healthcare solutions to
their programs, and utilization rates for traditional telemedicine
have jumped since the pandemic began. At the same time, the demand
for mental healthcare is growing. More than ever before, employers
view supporting the mental, emotional and behavioral health of
employees as a business imperative – especially given that
“burnout” is one of the top three reasons employees consider
leaving their jobs.
A Mercer survey of more than 700 organizations conducted earlier
this year that focused on strategies for 2023 asked about actions
employers would take to provide greater support for behavioral
health. Over half (52%) of large survey respondents say employees
will have access to virtual behavioral healthcare in 2023.
“Even before the pandemic, there was a shortage of mental health
providers and that has not changed. What has changed is the
explosion of virtual mental healthcare as an alternative to
in-person care,” added Watts. “Being able to receive care in the
privacy of one’s home – and saving the time and cost of traveling
to a physical office – is a game-changer for many people.”
People’s willingness to use virtual mental healthcare is
demonstrated by an analysis of data in MercerFOCUS, which
warehouses the claims of over 1 million health plan members. There
was a substantial increase in the number of people accessing
outpatient behavioral health services in 2021, from 73 members per
1,000 to 83. Notably, virtual mental health visits – essentially
non-existent prior to the pandemic – were utilized by 39 members
per 1,000, suggesting that the availability of this option resulted
in more people getting mental health support.
“It is encouraging that so many employers have prioritized
mental health in their health program strategies – not just at the
benefit level but in an organization’s culture as well. In a Mercer
survey conducted earlier this year, more than a third of large
employers are training managers to recognize behavioral health
issues and direct employees to existing resources,” says Watts.
“Ideally, behavioral healthcare will become an integrated,
essential part of healthcare, in which an anxiety disorder or
burnout is easily identified and addressed – and without
stigma.”
Survey Methodology
Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans
included 2,028 public and private employers in 2022. Based on
responses from employers in a national probability sample in
combination with a non-probability sample, survey results have been
weighted (using employer size and geographic stratification) to
represent the approximately 170,000 employer health plan sponsors
across the US with 50 or more employees. These organizations employ
about 124 million full- and part-time employees.
The full report on the Mercer survey, including a separate
appendix of tables of responses broken out by employer size,
region, and industry, will be published in March 2023. For more
information, visit www.mercer.com/health-benefit-trends.
About Mercer
Mercer believes in building brighter futures by redefining the
world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and
unlocking real health and well-being. Mercer’s approximately 25,000
employees are based in 43 countries and the firm operates in 130
countries. Mercer is a business of Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), the
world’s leading professional services firm in the areas of risk,
strategy and people, with 86,000 colleagues and annual revenue of
over $20 billion. Through its market-leading businesses including
Marsh, Guy Carpenter and Oliver Wyman, Marsh McLennan helps clients
navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment. For more
information, visit mercer.com. Follow Mercer on LinkedIn and
Twitter.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221208005229/en/
Cassie Lenski +1 469-841-8999
cassie.lenski@mercer.com
Marsh and McLennan Compa... (NYSE:MMC)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 6월(6) 2024 으로 7월(7) 2024
Marsh and McLennan Compa... (NYSE:MMC)
과거 데이터 주식 차트
부터 7월(7) 2023 으로 7월(7) 2024