Harris Interactive sm surveys of health plan members have often shown that most people like having choices of plans and benefits and that this can be an effective way to sweeten the otherwise bitter pill of increased employee health care costs. These are some of the results of Harris Interactive sm surveys of 304 human resource directors and 100 health plan managers, conducted in May and June this year. Figure 2 shows that a similar trend has occurred among health plan managers, in insurance companies and managed care plans, with very big increases since 1999 in those saying that their costs, and the prices of health care, are out of control. Seven in ten employers will increase employee cost sharing in the next two years. In general, most actions involve the level rather than the scope of coverage.
Most employers expect to offer their employees a greater choice of voluntary benefits.
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