Large Employers 'Fully Committed" to Company-Sponsored Benefits, Express Mixed Reaction to Private Health Insurance Exchanges

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The majority of large employers remain fully committed to providing an array of company-sponsored benefits and are currently uncertain about whether private health insurance exchanges will be a part of their benefits strategy, according to a national survey of mostly Fortune1000-ranked companies.

The survey—conducted by Pacific Resources, with question design and response analysis assistance provided by Milliman—focused on capturing the current perspective on private exchanges from some of the largest employers in the United States. The companies surveyed represent nearly three million employees and 5.9 million covered members, with a median employee population of 23,000. Approximately 75 percent of the companies that responded to the survey are ranked in the Fortune 1000, with several listed in the top 50.

“For large employers, it will be critical to determine, at some point, whether moving active employee health coverage to a private exchange is the right move for their organization and its plan participants,” said Paul Rogers, President and COO, Pacific Resources. “This is a complex decision about a new benefits strategy that is still evolving and the survey results tell us that, right now, most large employers are not ready to make that decision.”

Key survey findings:

1. Employer-sponsored benefits are viewed as a strategic asset

A significant majority of large employers (80%) view their employer-sponsored benefits as a strategic asset for attracting, recruiting and retaining employees and an integral part of their employee engagement and productivity strategy. Only 13 percent view it as a required expense of being in business.

The survey found that 75 percent are fully committed to providing an array of employer-sponsored benefits as a part of their total rewards program and will continue to actively look at all potential tactics to manage the costs associated with their benefits plans including exchanges, wellness programs and other incentives.

A significantly smaller percentage of large employers (21%) are taking a wait and see attitude regarding their company-sponsored benefits and expect to delay any changes until they better understand the full impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

2. Perspective on private exchanges is evolving, and confidence and interest is varied

While nearly all large employers (91%) believe they have a ‘good to excellent' understanding of the opportunities, challenges and decisions required to move to a private exchange, their levels of confidence and interest are varied.

While a little more than half of large employers (51%) are at least somewhat confident that private exchanges will be a viable alternative to current methods of providing health coverage to active employees, the other half (49%) are not confident or are unsure.

The current level of interest in private exchanges is split, with half showing some level of interest and the other half indicating no interest at this time. Currently, a little more than one-third (37%) have no plans to evaluate private exchanges and 13 percent have conducted an evaluation and decided not to move forward with an exchange as a replacement to their current medical benefit plan.

However, 35 percent indicated that they have begun to evaluate private exchanges as a potential benefits strategy for active employees, 11 percent are interested in evaluating exchanges and three percent are currently in an exchange.

When asked how they would evaluate private exchange vendors, 34 percent said they had not determined an approach, 25 percent would perform the evaluation using in-house resources, and 25 percent would engage a consultant that does not sponsor an exchange. Only 13 percent indicated that they would engage their existing consultant if that consultant sponsored a private exchange.

For those willing to consider a private exchange, half did not expect a potential move to take place until 2017 or 2018 while the other half were unsure of the timeframe for any such move.

3. Cost is the driving factor

When asked to rank the most important factors in determining their move to a private exchange, 85 percent identified cost savings as most important.

However, when asked about the projected percent of savings they would need to achieve in the first year in order to justify the move, more than half (55%) said they didn't know. The rest of the responses were fairly evenly dispersed across a range of options from less than 2 percent to greater than 10 percent savings.

After cost, 66 percent said that giving employees more choice which may better meet their coverage needs was an important factor followed by minimal network disruption (37%) and having a mature product with proven success to manage cost and administrative capabilities (36%).

4. Majority of employers want to remain self-insured

Sixty percent indicated they would want to remain self-insured if they moved to a private exchange while only 13 percent indicated they would move to fully-insured programs.

The remaining 27 percent were undecided but cited concerns about moving to fully-insured products for various reasons such as the ability to manage administrative and state requirements and the long-term cost effectiveness for fully insured products.

“This survey shows a significant amount of uncertainty and hesitancy among the nation's largest employers with regards to making decisions about private exchanges,” said Jody Hunter, Pacific Resources. “Plan sponsors are fully committed to providing an array of cost-effective benefits and need to understand the purpose and mechanics of this emerging benefits strategy in order to evaluate whether it provides opportunities for better or more efficient health coverage as part of their total rewards program.”

The survey was conducted online during February and March 2014. Respondents were senior human resource or benefits executives with decision-making authority within their organizations.

To download the Executive Summary, visit: http://www.pacresbenefits.com/private-health-insurance-exchanges.

About the Survey Sponsor

Pacific Resources

Pacific Resources is a leading independent employee benefits advisory firm that works with Fortune-ranked and other large companies. For over three decades, Pacific Resources' evidence-based insights have shaped innovative employee benefit solutions, helping companies get the most value from their benefit plans, and positively impacting the lives of millions of employees. Pacific Resources announced in April 2014 that it has entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by Brown & Brown, Inc BRO. The transaction is expected to be completed in May 2014, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals. http://www.pacresbenefits.com/

Milliman

Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. http://us.milliman.com/