According to a survey by the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit association of large employers, U.S. workers’ satisfaction with employer group health care plans has either risen or remained the same over the last three years.  Despite the increase in employee premiums and out-of-pocket expenses, according to the survey, Perceptions of Health Benefits in a Recovering Economy, most employees like their benefits.

The survey was conducted from late May through early June 2012, and included a sample of 1,545 employees at U.S. organizations with 2,000 or more employees.

Survey highlights on employee perception:

• 63% of respondents were very satisfied with their current health coverage provided by their employer or union.
• 87% of employees rated health benefits as very important when making a decision about accepting a new job or remaining with their employer.
• Nearly 33% were not confident in their ability to shop for health insurance on their own.
• More than 50% were not confident they could purchase the same or better quality insurance on their own.

Survey highlights on employee understanding:

• 62% were unable to estimate how much their employers pay for their health benefits.
• 60% ranked biometric screenings as of little or of no importance.
• 69% ranked exercise programs as of little or of no importance.
• 36% of employees feel overwhelmed by stress.
• 29% of employees indicated they felt as healthy as they could be.

While the overall findings indicate that the majority of employees are satisfied with their current benefits, there is still a great opportunity to better educate employees on how their behaviors and utilization impact employer health care costs.

In September, the UBA Health Plan Survey, one of the premier health plan benchmarking tools in the industry, will be released and provide even more insight into group health care trends.  The 2012 survey report will include responses from over 11,600 companies and nearly 17,800 health plans.  This is the largest survey ever completed by UBA (United Benefit Advisors) and provides the most detail of any national survey.

DISCLAIMER: Because of the generality of this update, and based on particular situations, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice, financial advice and/or the advice of a licensed insurance or certified human resource professional.

© Connelly, Carlisle, Fields & Nichols 2012