State Employee Benefit Plans Provide Insight Into Overall Group Benefit Trends

By Clive Riddle, July 20, 2017 The Summer 2017 edition of Data, Segal Consulting’s publication providing research findings on public sector employee benefits, presents findings from their 2017 State Employee Health Benefits Study. As states are one of the largest employers, and their benefit decision making is directly impacted by policy makers, monitoring the pulse of state employee benefit plans provides insight into benefit trends for group coverage as a whole. Andrew Sherman, Segal’s National Director of Public Sector Consulting, tells us “health benefits have become more important to state leaders as the cost of coverage outpaces overall inflation, placing budget pressure on health plan funding and underscoring the need for ongoing cost-management efforts. Examining what other states offer can be helpful for these leaders when they make difficult decisions about potential changes in coverage.” The 23-page issue exclusively presents their study which involved a review of the websites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia in the fourth quarter of 2016, capturing medical, prescription drug, vision and dental plan information, as well as wellness and tobacco-cessation programs, including 105 PPOs/POS plans, 83 HDHPs/CDHPs, 149 HMOs/EPOs and five indemnity plans. One insight from the study was “there are stark geographic discrepancies to where it is offered. According to the study, 13 Southern States offer HDHP/CDHPs, compared to just two in the Northeast. They are offered in eight states in the Midwest and seven in the West.” This equates to 22% of the states in the Northeast, 76% in the South, 67% in the Midwest and 54% in the West offering consumer driven plans. Single premium increases averaged 8% for HMO/EPO plans, 10% for PPO/POS plans and 14% for HDHP/CDHP plans. The average single monthly premium was $780 for HMO/EPO plans, $713 for PPO/POS plans and $563 for HDHP/CDHP plans. Single deductibles averaged $194 for HMO/EPO plans, $483 for PPO/POS plans and $1,997 for HDHP/CDHP plans. For the prescription benefit, single copayments averaged $9 for generic, $29 for brand formulary, $53 for brand non-formulary, and $101 for specialty drugs.