Dive Brief:
- A new report from Accenture finds about 8 million people enrolled in a private health insurance exchange for the 2016 plan year. That's a 35% increase over 2015, the company reports.
- Despite the increase, however, the number indicates a deceleration of more than 100% from the annual growth rate since 2013.
- Growth continues to be primarily fueled by midsize employers, Accenture reports, which it defines as businesses with 100 to 2,500 employees.
Dive Insight:
The analysis indicates larger employers typically "continue to sit on the sidelines," a likely factor in the number of enrollees remaining well below an earlier forecast by Accenture that 22 million people would enroll in plans via private exchanges by 2017.
That scenario may still be to come, it's just a matter of time, Accenture's Rich Birhanzel told Forbes.
The report notes some promising signs among large employers, including Mercer's announcement that for 2016 it has enrolled 222 companies and 633,000 eligible employees in its active exchange, indicating a 10% increase in the average number of employees enrolled per company compared to 2015.
Accenture's report goes on to discuss what private health exchanges need to "be great, not 'good enough,'" including demonstrating stabilization or reduction of healthcare costs; reduction of the adminstrative burden for HR professionals; and satisfying digital consumers.