Health Insurance iPad
Despite a significant level of concern about rising health care costs in the future, the majority of Americans appear to be satisfied with how much they pay for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and the health plan options available to them. Still, more than two-thirds of respondents to a recent Imagine360 and Pollfish survey of 2,500 American adults said they have worried about health care costs at least once over the past year.
When asked what their primary concerns are about the future of health care, 55% said health care costs and 16% said medication costs, while 30% worried about the quality of and access to care. In addition, about 70% of respondents indicated they think the cost of health care in the United States is unfair, and 90% agreed that health care costs are way too expensive.
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Nearly 40% of those surveyed said they have skipped or postponed necessary healthcare or medications over worries about costs, and of those, 42% said their condition worsened as a result.
Survey respondents indicated health plan premiums are the biggest factor causing difficulty in affording health care, followed by out-of-pocket maximums, according to the survey. Annual health care premiums for a family of four are about 6% of the median annual household income, the study said. That doesn’t factor in additional healthcare expenses, including deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket maximums.
In an effort to manage costs, nearly two-thirds of survey respondents said they’d be willing to travel further away from home for primary care, doctor or hospital visits if it lowered their health care costs.
“As health care costs continue to rise at unaffordable rates, its impacts are far-reaching for American businesses and families,” said Jeff Bak, CEO and president of Imagine360. “Businesses across the country are faced with the daunting task of either passing increasing health care costs to their employees or making significant cuts to other business expenses.”
Affordable, quality health benefits are a key employee retention tool, with more than two-thirds of respondents saying workplace health benefits are a significant factor when they are searching for or deciding to stay at a job. More than one-quarter of survey participants said they would take a pay cut at a different rate if it meant they had access to better health benefits.
Furthermore, medical conditions worsened by skipped treatments and medication can cost employers, particularly when employees miss work as a result, the company said.
More than half of survey respondents said they are satisfied or very satisfied with other health-related benefits their employer provides, including parental leave, mental health services and prescriptions. Weight loss medications and fertility assistance were the top two areas where survey respondents said they’d like to see their employer consider coverage.
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Kristen Smithberg
Kristen Smithberg is a Colorado-based freelance writer who covers commercial real estate, insurance, benefits and retirement topics for BenefitsPRO and other industry publications.
