• U.S. Spending On Health Care Accounted For 17.5 Percent Of The Nation’s Economic Output — 2014

“Health spending in the United States last year topped $3 trillion — an average of $9,500 a person — as five years of exceptionally slow growth gave way to the Affordable Care Act’s expansion of Medicaid and private insurance coverage, and as prescription drug prices resumed their sharp climbs, the government said Wednesday.

”Health spending grew faster than the economy in 2014, and the federal share of health spending grew even faster, as major provisions of the Affordable Care Act took effect.…”

Please visit this link to read the full report: NewYorkTimes

NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions.

© 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC

URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• “Smaller Hikes in Health Premium Rates Forecast for 2016”

“Compared to the steep spikes in health plan premiums seen in years past, rate increases for 2016 will remain relatively modest for most medical plan options, although still outpacing overall inflation as represented by the consumer price index (CPI).

”But costs will increase substantially for prescription drug coverage, hitting double-digit rates, according to forecasts based on recent health cost trend surveys.…”

Please visit this link to read the full report: SHRM

NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions.

© 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC

URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• U.S. Employers’ Health Costs to Rise 6.5%—2016

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“This PwC Health Research Institute (HRI) report projects a [2016] medical cost trend of 6.5%, down from 6.8% projected for 2015. ”Marking 10 years of slowing growth projected to be slightly lower for 2016…” Please visit this link to read the full report: PWC-HRI NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions. © 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• U.S. Large Employer Health Premiums Up 9.4% Since 2011

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Study: ”Among the findings on premium increases: • “Since 2011, total premiums (including both employer and employee portions) increased for large employers by 9.4 percent, or about 2 percent every year. • “From 2014 to 2015, total premiums increased 2.6 percent, which is relatively modest when compared to the previous decade. “’This could be partially due to more employers offering high-deductible plans with higher co-pays and implementing flexible spending accounts and consumer-directed health plans,’ according to ADP’s researchers. ”Other research indicates that small employers were likely to have faced larger premium increases than the biggest employers over this period….” Please visit this link to read the full report: SHRM NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions. © 2015 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• Survey: One Percent of U.S. Employers Eliminating Healthcare Coverage in 2015

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"Employers continue to adjust to increasing health care costs and the Affordable Care Act, but a new survey from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has found that most organizations are not eliminating health care coverage for their employees in 2015." Please visit this link to read the full report: LinkToArticle NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions. © 2014 Connecticut Human Resource Reports, LLC URL: http://connecticuthumanresources.blogspot.com/

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• Health Care Premiums Expected to Jump in 2015

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”U.S. companies saw a relatively modest uptick in health plan costs in 2014, but premiums will see a sharper increase next year, new research shows. ”For 2015, the average health care premium adjustment for midsize and large U.S. companies will be 5.5 percent after plan design changes and vendor negotiations aimed at curtailing costs, consultancy Aon Hewitt projects, up from 4.4 percent in 2014. ”For 2015, the data from midsize and large employers further reveal that average health care costs are projected to increase to $11,304 per employee, up from $10,717 in 2014 and $10,266 in 2013. Please visit this link to read the full report: LinkToArticle NOTE: This report is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in providing legal, financial, accounting or other professional advice. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Furthermore, while we do our best to ensure that these data are accurate, we suggest that any entity making decisions based on these numbers should verify the data at their source prior to making such decisions.

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