Ball in consumers’ court

Employers can save a lot of money by moving some or all of their workers from traditional coverage into a consumer-directed health plan (CDHP), and companies are doing just that, says a study by Mercer, the large consulting company. “The cost of coverage in a CDHP with a health savings account is about 20 percent lower, on average, than the cost of PPO coverage — $7,833 per employee compared to $10,007,” according to the National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans.

Employee enrollment in CDHPs jumped from 13 to 16 percent of all covered employees in 2012. “Over the past two years, offerings of CDHPs have risen from 17 to 22 percent of all employers, and from 23 to 36 percent of employers with 500 or more employees. Well over half (59 percent) of very large organizations (20,000 or more employees), which typically offer employees a choice of medical plans, now offer a CDHP.”

CDHP enrollment grows sharply in 2012

Percentage of all covered employees enrolled in each plan type

Sharp increase in CDHP offerings by large employers

Percent of employers offering/likely to offer CDHP, by employer size

Source: Mercer’s National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans