A new survey from Towers Perrin shows that in 2009 US employers will pay an average of $9,660 per employee in annual health care insurance premiums ($4,860 for a single employee; $14,244 for family coverage), a figure that, under current trends, is expected to double in the next 10 years.
However, there are clear differences between ‘high performers’ (i.e. companies that need to pay less in insurance premiums) and ‘low performers’. The high performers pay costs per employee that are $1,464 lower than low performers, and their employees themselves pay an average of $350 less in insurance contributions.
The survey found that there are striking differences in the way in which high performers build employee health into their strategy and organisational culture, which could explain the differences in costs. For example:
- 78% of high performers (versus 38% of low performers) say their company plays a major role in identifying and managing health risks/conditions among employees.
- 76% (31%) say they are committed to building a culture of health.
- 86% (57%) say that they have secured senior management involvement.
- 65% (34%) engage employees through health care communications, employee education and access to health information.
- 74% (22%) say they actively help employees understand and manage health and health risks.
- 81% (47%) say they measure critical success factors such as employees’ understanding and use of resources and tools.
Source: Business Wire, 25 September 2008.