Nearly 20% of Employers Plan to Stop Directly Providing Health Care Benefits by 2014

OPEN MINDS Weekly News Wire Strategic Health Care News In a survey of employers’ health and benefit plans for the coming year and the next three to five years, 19% of respondents said their company plans to move away from providing health care benefits directly, up from four percent in 2008. Companies that planned to offer health benefits said their top three strategies for cost containment included promotion of employee accountability, offering competitive benefits in the marketplace, and managing health risk. More than half, 57%, planned to offer incentives to encourage employees to purchase and use health care. Organizations are . . .