New research from Aon Hewitt shows that the majority of employers plan to continue sponsoring health benefits for active employees and retirees, but will change the way those benefits are managed and delivered in the coming years.
According to Aon Hewitt's soon-to-be released Health Care Survey of more than 1,230 employers covering more than 10 million employees, 95 percent of employers say they plan to continue providing health care benefits to active employees in the next three-to-five years. However, a growing number plan to stop aggressively managing costs through vendor management and employee cost-sharing.
Almost 40 percent of organizations surveyed expect to migrate toward a "house money/house rules" approach, which requires employees to take a more active role in their health by offering them a few plan options, plus initiatives designed to improve health and reduce costs. Thirty-three percent say offering group-based health benefits to active employees through a private health exchange will be their preferred approach in the next three-to-five years.
Employers' Current and Future Health Strategies for Active Employees
| Now | 3-5 Years | |
| Manage risk via "House Money/House Rules" approach | 40% | 36% |
| Move to a private health exchange | 5% | 33% |
| Exit health care completely | 1% | 5% |
| Maintain traditional trend mitigation approaches | 52% | 21% |
