Buck: Employers Face Higher Benefits Bills

Consultants at Buck Consultants, New York, a unit of Affiliated Computer Services Inc., Dallas, have published figures supporting that conclusion in a summary of results from a survey of about 100 U.S. health insurers and health maintenance organizations.

As President Obama and members of Congress spar in Washington, the survey participants, whose companies provide coverage for about 78 million U.S. residents, are seeing the following health care cost trends:

- Preferred provider organization plans: 11.1%, up from 11% in 2008.

- Health account plans: 10.3%, down from 10.4%.

- Health maintenance organization plans: 10.3%, down from 11%.

The average prescription drug trend has increased to 10.9%, from 10.8%.

“Health insurers are concerned about higher costs due to federal mental health parity, as well as an increase in COBRA enrollment,” says Harvey Sobel, the Buck principal who directed the survey. “There is also uncertainty due to health care reform and its impact on all sectors of the health care industry.”