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The Employers' Last Stand?
EXCERPT: "Two trends emerge. First, American employers are no longer
going to play the role of passive consumer. Whether through
participation in Leapfrog or other cooperative efforts to drive quality,
employers are willing to dirty their hands in the push to improve the
healthcare system.
Second, if the system does not improve and costs continue to rise,
employers may no longer share the ride and will start to look for ways
to legally and strategically bail out. This is a not a bluff that payors
and providers dare to call."
Full Article
December 2005—HealthLeaders
Media
Most Employers to Keep Retiree Drug Benefit in 2006
EXCERPT: "With more certainty in the Medicare prescription drug market,
the percentage of employers retaining plans that qualify for the 28%
subsidy is likely to drop, according to the [Kaiser Family Foundation
and Hewitt Associates Inc.] survey. For example, while about eight in 10
surveyed employers said they are taking the subsidy next year and expect
to do the same in 2007, only about 50% of employers
say they expect to do so in 2010."
Full Article
December 12, 2005—Business
Insurance
New EBRI–Commonwealth Fund Research: Consumer-Directed Health Plan
Participants Less Satisfied Than Those With Comprehensive Insurance,
Survey Finds
EXCERPT: "The survey also found that those covered by these new plans,
both with and without savings accounts, are more likely than those with
comprehensive insurance to avoid or delay needed care. When they do get
care, those in consumer-directed plans encounter larger financial
burdens compared with those with comprehensive insurance. But
individuals in the new plans do exhibit more cost-conscious behavior in
their health care decisions—as the plans intended—compared with those
having comprehensive insurance, the survey found. Still, the survey said
this may come at the expense of those who are sick and have low incomes.
And very few people have cost and quality information from their plans
to make informed decisions, the study found."
Full Article
December 8, 2005—The
Commonwealth Fund
Employers Embrace Electronic Benefit Tools
EXCERPT: "Recent surveys document the increasing use of information
technology in benefits communication. Watson Wyatt found that 55% of its
surveyed employers offer employees Web access to personalized health
benefits information.
The survey also found that 24% of health and welfare benefit
transactions and 16% of 'life events' transactions such as marriages and
retirement are managed online, up from 20% and 5%, respectively, in
2002."
Full Article
December 12, 2005—Business
Insurance
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America's Health Rankings™ 2005
Minnesota
Healthiest state
Mississippi
Least healthy state
23.1%
Percent of the U.S. population that can be termed "obese" in 2005. That is a 99% increase over
the 1990 figure of 11.6%.
28 Countries
Number of nations that exceed the U.S. in healthy life expectancy. The
28 include United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Germany and Japan.
The highest, Japan, exceeds the United States by more than five years,
meaning that the average newborn child in Japan can expect to have more
than five additional years in which to enjoy a healthy, active life.
18.4%
Overall improvement in U.S. health from 1990 to 2005. This is due to
improvements in the reduction of infant mortality, infectious disease,
prevalence of smoking, cardiovascular deaths, motor vehicle deaths,
violent crime and limited activity days.
More information from the annual America's Health Rankings™ report
available online.
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