Colonie-based Blue Shield of Northeastern New York reaped some of the benefits when Partners pulled out of the market in the first quarter of 2000, said Leslie Baker, vice president of sales. The health plan requires documentation from commercial members that they are in fact businesses with employees, and some did not provide that. We are not concerned with this membership drop. These were strategic decisions that we made in the long-term interest of the company. Empire's Bohren said that in today's tight labor market, benefits are extremely important to attract and retain employees.
Employer groups look at the benefits they offer differently than a few years ago.
Even small employers more sensitive to rising health insurance costs may move between products to a less expensive plan, but they are continuing to offer insurance coverage. More employers are looking at different ways to offer health insurance benefits to their employees, said Baker of Blue Shield. In some cases, this involves choosing plans with higher co-pays or different prescription drug benefits that minimize the premium cost but still allow them to offer benefits to their employees, she said. All of GHI's HMO enrollment has been in such a plan, Baackes said. Service payoff MVP Health Plan Inc. of Schenectady attributes its growth to corporate-wide programs for improving service and making it easier for individual patients, employers and doctors to deal with their health insurance coverage, said spokeswoman Amy Ertel Bellcourt.