Dive Brief:
- A new study by Mercer has concluded that employers are moving towaard consumer-directed health plans and wellness programs for their employees.
- In a study of more than 2,800 employers witih at least 10 employees, Mercer found that enrollment in CDHPs rose from 16 percent last year to 18 percent this year; meanwhile, 66 percent of large employers and 33 percent of small companies expect to offer CDHPs to workers within the next three years.
- Mercer also found that rising numbers of employers are offering employee wellness programs, and often, offering financial incentives alongside the wellness programs.
Dive Insight:
Clearly, large employers believe that engaging employees in their own care -- both financially and behaviorally -- will help them control the spiralling cost of healthcare. That being said, it's not clear whether CDHPs actually work for lower income employees, who have great difficulty funding the care prior to meeting the deductible. Perhaps some model will emerge which takes this fact into account, but to date, CDHPs are simply a decision not to fund basic healthcare for their most vulnerable employees.