Despite some pushback from critics, acceptance of consumer-directed health plans is growing in corporate circles. According to a new study by Watson Wyatt Worldwide and the National Business Group on Health, which surveyed 573 large U.S. companies, employer roll-outs of CDHPs climbed 5 percent last year, from 33 percent to 38 percent. Interestingly, only some of these employers (26 percent) offer or plan to offer a health savings account, a cornerstone of the model behind the CDHP. This may explain, in part, why employees don't seem as enthusiastic about the CDHP model as their bosses are. Watson Wyatt found that only 8 percent of employees had enrolled in these plans, despite the fact that CDHPs offer significantly lower premiums. Right now, only 5 percent of employers have forced the issue by making CDHPs the only health insurance option available, Watson Wyatt found.
To learn more about this trend:
- read this United Press International report
- see the Watson Wyatt press release