Benefits July 29, 2011

Higher Ed Employee Health Care Costs Up 7.3%

July 29, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – A survey by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources revealed median annual cost of health care this year was 7.3% higher than last year for both employee only and employee + family coverage for the three most common plan types (PPO, HMO and POS).
Reported by

Median annual plan premiums increased to $5,868 for employee only coverage and to $16,388 for employees + family coverage. Increases in employee costs are somewhat higher than the percentage change due to increases in median annual deductibles, which were also higher in 2010 than in 2009.  

The percentage of responding institutions offering Consumer Driven Health Plans has increased from 11% in 2007 to 26% this year.  

The 2011 Comprehensive Survey of College and University Benefits Programs report said more than half of responding institutions provide health care benefits for retirees under the age of 65; slightly less than half do so for those 65 and over. More than 60% of responding institutions have a wellness program and slightly less than half of these have their own budget. However, less than 20% know the percentage of faculty/staff participating in their programs.  

The percentage of responding institutions offering health care benefits for same sex and opposite set partners increased for the fifth straight year, rising to 56% and 43% respectively.  

To order survey results go to http://www.cupahr.org/surveys/order.asp.

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