Benefits Costs Increased, Survey Finds

NU Online News Service, May 22, 1:46 p.m. EST?Employers are seeing sharp increases in employee benefit packages and are shifting more of the financial burden onto their workers, a survey from a major producer association has found.

The Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers based in Washington, D.C. released a survey today that indicates rates for group life and medial benefits have seen major increases in the last six months, especially for companies with less than 500 employees.

In a survey of 60 producers across the country, the report said, group medical renewals over the past six months saw no decrease.

Ninety-seven percent of medium-size companies with between 51-to-500 employees saw substantial increases. Seventy-seven percent saw increases ranging between 10-to-30 percent, and 20 percent received increases of 30-to-50 percent.

Small companies with less than 50 employees closely followed medium-size companies. Ninety-five percent of the small companies, the producers reported, saw increases with 72 percent receiving increases of between 10-to-30 percent and 23 percent reporting increases ranging from 30-to-50 percent.

Large companies with 500 or more employees faired slightly better. A large percentage of the producers, 23 percent, said they did not deal with that size account. Of the remaining 60 respondents, 8 percent said they saw increases ranging between one-and-10 percent; 62 percent said increases were up 80 percent; and 7 percent reported increases of between 30-and-50 percent.

On the group life side, some employers saw decreases ranging from one-to-30 percent. On average, 34 percent of the producers reported no change in premium rates.

Most increases were in the one-to-10 percent range, averaging 28 percent among the three group sizes. On an average of the three company sizes, 8 percent saw increases ranging between 10-and-30 percent.

Small employers were hit the hardest, with 33 percent seeing increases in the one-to-10 percent range and 10 percent in the 10-to-30 percent range. Two percent of this group saw increases ranging as high as between 30-to-50 percent. Neither medium nor large employers saw increases that high.

CIAB said that producers reported more employers were taking cost-shifting steps, transferring more of the expenses for medical and prescription drug coverage to employees.

Businesses are also addressing the point by issuing tiers of coverage where employees pick coverage dependent upon the amount of out-of-pocket coverage they can afford.

Vision care and dental plans that have traditionally been sponsored by employers are also shifting to an employee pay status.

Special Reports /

Benefits Costs Increased, Survey Finds

Related Stories

Recommended For You