BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HighRoads, an industry leader in employer health care compliance, consulting and benefits management, today announced data results of a new 2010 survey of larger employers which identified trends in preventative care benefits in response to new health care reform regulations as defined by The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010. Results of the study showed that while 60% of employer plans currently offer free coverage for some or all preventative care services, 46% of employers plan to improve or enhance their preventative care benefits.
Under new health reform law, ”non-grandfathered” health plans will be required to cover preventative services without charging co-pay, co-insurance or a deductible. Plans that existed on or before March 23, 2010 are considered “grandfathered” if certain requirements are met and are exempt from some of health care reform’s regulations prior to 2014. HighRoads survey data reported that 64% of larger employers (organizations with an average of 6,000 enrolled employees) have grandfathered plans as defined by PPACA.
“Progressive employers who truly believe in the value of employee health and well being and, more so, their ability to impact and measure improvement to employee health and well being are providing many of the PPACA mandated preventative services through an integrated wellness program or a “culture of health”. Holistic wellness benefits spanning many multiple population segments which would include components such as health risk appraisals, group support programs, employee assistance plans, incented designs, clinical monitoring, routine measurement and the like are being offered today by employers seeking to manage health trend and improve absenteeism/presenteeism,” said Josh Miley, principal, HighRoads. “Unfortunately, given the current economic environment, many believe that employees have foregone preventative care when copays are required in lieu of paying their mortgage or other necessary bills. This may contribute to a spike in utilization once copayments are removed.”
Specific data results from the survey include:
- 60.2% of responding employer plans currently provide free coverage for preventative care services without out-of-pocket cost sharing by employees for services such as mammograms, colonoscopies, etc. 37.6% do not and 2.3% are unsure.
- 63.6% of responding employer’s plans are considered “grandfathered health plans” as defined by the PPACA and as a result are considered exempt from some of health care reforms regulations prior to 2014. 30.3% are not exempt and 6.1% are not sure.
- 46.2% of responding employers plan to include, increase or enhance their preventative care services to comply with PPACA regulations or as a competitive measure. 39.4% do not plan to enhance preventative care options while 14.4% are unsure.
- 14% of respondents think preventative care will cost the company money both in the short and long-term, 40% thought it would cost money in the short-term but save money in the long-term, 9% thought it would save money both in the short and long-term and 37% of respondents thought that the cost of preventative care would be minimal, future savings were uncertain but covering preventative care made sense from an employee wellbeing and engagement standpoint.
For more survey details, contact Josh Miley at [email protected]
HighRoads Data Research
This HighRoads survey on Health Care Reform’s Impact on Preventative Care, was completed on Friday, August 27, 2010. One hundred sixty three (163) companies responded to the survey representing approximately one million enrolled employees. The average employer had 6,000 enrolled employees.
About HighRoads
The world’s largest employers choose HighRoads to gain complete control over their health care costs and compliance. With HighRoads’ service, employers have online access to benefits plan information and pricing, competitive benefits benchmarks, and complete benefits supply chain management. The privately-held company is headquartered in Woburn, MA. For more information, visit www.HighRoads.com.
CONTACT:
HighRoads Company Contact:
Petra Marino, 781-503-4031
[email protected]
or
HighRoads Media Contact:
Erin Jones, 704-664-2170
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America Massachusetts
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Public Policy/Government Healthcare Reform Labor Professional Services Human Resources Insurance
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