Other key findings from the study:

81 percent of employers plan moderate to significant changes to their health care plans over the next three years, up from 72 percent a year ago;
48 percent are considering tying incentives to reaching a specified health outcome such as biometric targets, compared with just 10 percent that intend to adopt it in 2015;
37 percent are considering offering plans with a higher level of benefit based on the use of high-performance or narrow networks of medical providers, compared with just 7 percent in 2015;
34 percent are considering telemedicine, compared with 15 percent in 2015, as employers encourage employees to use such telemedicine strategies as virtual physician office visits to improve access and efficiency of care delivery;
33 percent are considering significantly reducing company subsidies for spouses and dependents (10 percent have already implemented such reductions, and 9 percent intend to do so in 2015);
26 percent said they are considering spouse exclusions or surcharges if coverage is available elsewhere (30 percent have that tactic in place now, and another 7 percent expect to add it in 2015);
30 percent of employers considering caps on health care coverage subsidies for active employees, using defined contribution approaches (13 percent have them in place today and another 3 percent planning them for 2015).

Employers continue to study private exchanges, although 77 percent "are not at all confident public exchanges will provide a viable alternative for their active full-time employees in 2015 or 2016."

Instant Insights /

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