HSA Plans Gain Popularity as Premium ...( Hewitt Data Good News for Future ...),Health

Hewitt Data Good News for Future Cost Controls, Says NCPA's Goodman

DALLAS, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- About half of all employers are expected to soon offer Health Savings Account (HSA) plans to their employees. This projection offers the best hope for restraining runaway health care costs, according to John Goodman, president of the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA).

"The best way to control health care costs is to put patients in control of more of their health care dollars," said Goodman. "The increasing popularity of HSAs is a result of managed care's failure."

According to a report released this week by Hewitt and Associates, a global human resources company, "account-based plans are gaining traction by employers as a way to control costs." Hewitt's research found that more than 20 percent of companies offer, or plan to offer, a high-deductible health plan with an HSA by the end of this year and almost half are considering offering one at a future date. While just 3 percent of employees elected these plans last year, most companies anticipate that enrollment will grow to 20 percent in 5 years.

A major factor in the movement towards consumer-directed health care plans is the ever-increasing premium rates. While employers enjoyed a nine-year low in health care cost rate increases this year -- a 5.3 percent average increase, down from 7.9 percent in 2006 -- that is expected to change in 2008. Premiums are expected to rise by an average of 8.7 percent in 2008. For example:

-- Premiums for traditional indemnity plans increased 9.1 percent in

2007 and are expected to increase 9.0 percent in 2008;

-- Premiums for HMOs increased 8.7 percent in 2007 and are expected to

increase 9.0 in 2008;

-- Premiums for point-of-service (POS) plans increased 3.9 percent in

2007 and are expected to increase 8.5 percent in 2008;

-- Premiums for preferred provider organizations
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