Group health care plan costs are expected to jump by 6.3 percent on average in 2013 after a relatively modest 4.9 percent increase this year, according to new research released by Aon Hewitt.
The average group health care plan cost per employee is projected to rise to $11,188 per employee next year, according to an analysis released Oct. 3 by Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Aon Hewitt. Costs include employer and employee premium contributions, but not employee out-of-pocket costs, such as copayments and coinsurance.
Aon Hewitt's findings, which are based on health care plans offered by 466 employers, are consistent with other research. For example, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported last month that premiums for family health insurance coverage rose just 4 percent on average in 2012.
Other findings include:
• The average employee premium contribution for coverage in 2012 was $2,204, up 5.5 percent from 2011.
• Employees' out-of-pocket costs averaged $2,200 in 2012, up 6.2 percent from the prior year.
• By plan design, premium costs rose the most for health maintenance organizations, where costs in 2012 increased by an average of 5.5 percent to $10,659 per employee. For point-of-service plans, premium costs increased by an average of 3.8 percent to $11,062 per employee, while for preferred provider organizations, premium costs increased by an average of 4.7 percent to $10,433 per employee.
Jerry Geisel writes for Business Insurance, a sister publication of Workforce Management. Comment below or email editors@workforce.com.
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