Health

A growing number of American companies are turning to a carrot and sticks approach to offering health benefits to their employees, with rewards and consequences. The goal is to improve employee health and knowledge about their decisions, as well as reduce the company’s health insurance risks. According to a survey by Aon Hewitt, 83 percent of companies surveyed offered incentives participating in health awareness programs. The survey included nearly 800 large and mid-size U.S. employers…

Although most employers plan on still offering health insurance to their employees, a recent survey indicates they expect moderate changes in the coming year as they look to reduce costs. According to the Employer Survey on Purchasing Value in Health Care, from the Towers Watson/National Business Group on Health, indicated employers are responding to changes influenced in part by health care reform with more aggressive actions to improve health care delivery and manage rising costs…

The use of Health Savings Accounts and Health Reimbursement Arrangements is on the rise, both in the number of those using them and the amount of funds contributed. Almost 70 percent of workers with an HRA or HSA said their employers contributed to the account in 2012, continuing a steady increase since 2009, according to a recent study by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Employer contributions of $200−$499 increased from 14 percent to 22 percent…

The American workforce is expected to see major changes to how their health insurance benefits are managed and received in the coming years. As medical costs increase for employers and employees alike, the employees are expected to take a more active role in this, according to Aon Hewitt. The amount employers spend on health care has increased by 40 percent in the past six years to approximately $8,800 per employee. Over this same period, employee…