Kansas City, Kan. – Sixty-seven percent of Illinois companies had a health insurance premium increase, according to the Compensation Data 2007 – Illinois annual survey of 367 employers. When compared to 2006, this number has decreased from 71.8 percent. The newly released results reported the average premium increase was 11.4 percent for all plan types.
While health insurance premiums are rising, they have been increasing at a lower rate. In 2006, the average premium increase was 11.6 percent and then, 12.5 percent the previous year in Illinois. When comparing plans in 2007, 66.3 percent of organizations offering PPO plans saw an average increase of 11.8 percent, while HMO and POS plans had average premium increases of 9.7 and 15.8 percent respectively.
To contain rising costs, Illinois organizations utilized a variety of methods. The most highly used was coordination of benefits at 69.3 percent in 2007, while wellness programs were employed by 65.4 percent. Use of a network of health care professionals was prevalent, as 61.8 percent of organizations used it to contain costs.
The results showed 34.3 percent of Illinois companies increased the employee portion of the premium in their efforts to reduce costs. This is 4.6 percent lower than it was in 2006. Currently, 31.3 and 14 percent of organizations increased deductible levels and employee co-insurance levels respectively. On average, employers contribute 10 percent of payroll toward the cost of health benefits, which is nearly the same cost to provide all of the following benefits: dental, pension, life, disability and other non-mandated benefits.
"Health insurance continues to be a concern for both employers and employees across the United States," said Amy Kaminski, manager of marketing programs for Compdata Surveys. "And as the presidential election approaches, candidates’ health care plans will remain a primary focus of debate. However, most companies are concerned with how to contain costs now, and in response, some states are exploring legislative measures."
About the Survey
Compensation Data 2007 – Illinois contains data on 510 job titles ranging from entry-level to top executives. Information was collected on more than 255,000 employees across the state. The results provide a comprehensive summary of pay data, benefits information and pay practices with an effective date of March 1, 2007. Compdata Surveys has been providing accurate, reliable data at affordable prices to organizations from coast to coast since 1988. For further information about the compensation and benefits surveys, contact Lane Lyons at (800) 300-9570 or llyons[at]compdatasurveys.com.
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