Survey Shows Consumerism Uptick in Health Benefits

Associated Press Online Tom Murphy - December 11, 2008

Years of rising health care premiums are making U.S. workers less willing to choose plans with higher up-front costs, according a survey by consulting firm Watson Wyatt.

A survey of large company employees shows that workers are significantly less willing to pay higher premiums to keep out-of-pocket expenses like deductibles and copays lower this year compared with 2007.

Only 19 percent of employees surveyed this year were willing to opt for higher premiums, compared with 38 percent last year.

Rising premiums and employers who are shifting more of the health insurance cost burden to their workers have motivated employees to look closely at what they get for their money, said Cathy Tripp, national leader of consumerism for Arlington, Va.-based Watson Wyatt.

"Some employees that have for years overpaid for coverage have now looked at how much they actually consume and realized it's not the right choice," she said.

Other employees are simply choosing the option that leaves the most money in their paychecks. Tripp also noted that benefits companies provide more tools to help workers understand their health care choices and find the right fit for them.

"I think there is an uptick in kind of consumerism in general about awareness around what you're buying," she said.

Watson Wyatt surveyed more than 2,400 workers employed by large U.S. companies last spring and compared their responses for several issues to what they said in 2007.

The study also found that 66 percent of workers took steps to improve their personal care, up from 61 percent in 2007. However, 17 percent skipped a doctor's visit this year to save costs, and an equal percentage failed to fill a prescription or passed on medicine for the same reason.

The survey had a margin of error of 2 percent, Tripp said. Watson Wyatt conducted it in May and June.

Tripp said some of the disparities in responses between this year and last may have widened since spring, with the economy continuing to falter.

"I do think in some ways satisfaction might be higher because I think some employees are just happy to have a job and benefits," she said.