Employers must take ownership of their role in proving health care access and seriously consider the financial and societal impact of high-cost, low-quality health plans on their employees. (Photo: Shutterstock)

As was the case for most of the last couple decades, the cost of health care continued to climb in 2018. This past year, the average employer-sponsored family plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approached $20,000, and there's yet another five percent increase expected for 2019.

But the promise of a new year, a fresh start, brings hope. And for employers and HR professionals, the good news is that instead of falling victim to insurer's annually increasing premium rates, they can take this time to identify cost savings in their current health plans. As they look to enact change in the new year, here are five things for employers and HR professionals to consider:

1. You're actually running a health care business.