Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Premiums Continue to Rise, but Rate of Growth Has Recently Slowed
Released: 2007-05-18T00:00:00

Letter

Background

The FEHBP is the largest employer-sponsored health insurance program in the country, providing health insurance coverage for about 8 million federal employees, retirees, and their dependents through contracts with private insurance plans. All currently employed and retired federal employees and their dependents are eligible to enroll in FEHBP plans, and about 85 percent of eligible workers and retirees are enrolled in the program. For 2007, FEHBP offered 284 plans, with 14 fee-for-service (FFS) plans, 209 health maintenance organization (HMO) plans, and 61 consumer-directed health plans (CDHP). About 75 percent of total FEHBP enrollment was concentrated in FFS plans, about 25 percent in HMO plans, and less than 1 percent in CDHPs.

Total FEHBP health insurance premiums paid by the government and enrollees were about $31 billion in fiscal year 2005. As set by statute, the government pays 72 percent of the average premium across all FEHBP plans but no more than 75 percent of any particular plan’s premium. The premiums are intended to cover enrollees’ health care costs, plans’ administrative expenses, reserve accounts specified by law, and OPM’s administrative costs. Unlike some other large purchasers, FEHBP offers the same plan choices to currently employed enrollees and retirees, including Medicare-eligible retirees who opt to receive coverage through FEHBP plans rather than through the Medicare program. The plans include benefits for medical services and prescription drugs.

By statute, OPM can negotiate contracts with health plans without regard to competitive bidding requirements. Plans meeting the minimum requirements specified in the statute and regulations may participate in the program, and plan contracts may be renewed automatically each year. OPM may terminate contracts if the minimum standards are not met.

OPM administers a reserve account within the U.S. Treasury for each FEHBP plan, pursuant to federal regulations. Reserves are funded by a surcharge of up to 3 percent of a plan’s premium. Funds in the reserves above certain minimum balances may be used, under OPM’s guidance, to defray future premium increases, enhance plan benefits, reduce government and enrollee premium contributions, or cover unexpected shortfalls from higher-than-anticipated claims.

On January 1, 2006, Medicare began offering prescription drug coverage (also known as Part D) to Medicare-eligible beneficiaries. Employers offering prescription drug coverage to Medicare-eligible retirees enrolled in their plans could, among other options, offer their retirees drug coverage that was actuarially equivalent to standard coverage under Part D and receive a tax-exempt government subsidy to encourage them to retain and enhance their prescription drug coverage. The subsidy provides payments equal to 28 percent of each qualified beneficiary’s prescription drug costs that fall within a certain threshold and is estimated to average about $670 per beneficiary per year. OPM opted not to apply for the retiree drug subsidy.

Growth in Average FEHBP Premiums Has Recently Slowed and Was Lower Than That of Other Purchasers

The average annual growth in FEHBP premiums has slowed since 2002— declining each year from 2003 through 2007—and was generally lower than the growth for other purchasers since 2003. After a period of decreases in 1995 and 1996, FEHBP premiums began to increase for 1997, to a peak increase of 12.9 percent for 2002. The growth in average FEHBP premiums began slowing in 2003 and reached a low of 1.8 percent for 2007. The average annual growth in FEHBP premiums was faster than that of CalPERS and surveyed employers from 1997 through 2002—8.5 percent compared with 6.5 percent and 7.1 percent, respectively. However, beginning in 2003, the average annual growth rate in FEHBP premiums was slower than that of CalPERS and surveyed employers—7.3 percent compared with 14.2 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively. (See fig. 1).

The premium growth rates for the 10 largest FEHBP plans by enrollment— accounting for about three-quarters of total FEHBP enrollment—ranged from 0 percent to 15.5 percent for 2007. Premium growth rates across the smaller FEHBP plans varied more widely.

Regarding enrollee premiums—the share of total premiums paid by enrollees—the growth in average enrollee premiums generally paralleled total premium growth from 1994 through 2007. In 2006, average monthly FEHBP premiums were $415 for individual plans and $942 for family plans in total. The enrollee premium contributions were $123 for individual plans and $278 for family plans.

Projected Growth in Several Factors Contributed to Average FEHBP Premium Growth

Projected increases in the cost and utilization of services and in the cost of prescription drugs accounted for most of the average annual premium growth across FEHBP plans for the period from 2000 through 2007, although projected withdrawals from reserves offset much of this growth for 2006 and 2007. Absent projected changes associated with other factors, projected increases in the cost and utilization of services and the cost of prescription drugs would have accounted for a 9 percent increase in average premiums for 2007. Projected increases in the cost of and utilization of services alone would have accounted for about a 6 percent increase premiums for 2007, down from a peak of about 10 percent for 2002. Projected increases in the cost of prescription drugs alone would have accounted for about a 3 percent increase in premiums for 2007, down from a peak of about 5 percent for 2002. Enrollee demographics— particularly the aging of the enrollee population—were projected to have less of an effect on premium growth. Projected decreases in the costs associated with certain other factors, including benefit changes that resulted in less generous coverage and enrollee choice of plans—typically the migration to lower-cost plans—generally helped offset average premium growth for 2000 through 2007 to a small extent.

Projected withdrawals from reserves offset average premium growth for 2006 and 2007. Officials we interviewed from most of the plans stated that OPM monitored their plans’ reserve levels and worked closely with them to build up or draw down reserve funds gradually to avoid wide fluctuations in premium growth from year to year. Projected additions to reserves nominally contributed to average premium growth—by less than 1 percentage point—for 2000 through 2005. However, projected withdrawals from reserves offset average premium growth by about 2 percentage points for 2006 and 5 percentage points for 2007. (See fig. 2.)

We also reviewed detailed data available for five large FEHBP plans on claims actually incurred from 2003 through 2005. These data showed that most of the increase in total expenditures per enrollee was explained by expenditures on prescription drugs (34 percent) and on hospital outpatient services (26 percent).

Officials we interviewed from several FEHBP plans stated that the retiree drug subsidy would have had a small effect on premium growth had OPM applied for the subsidy and used it to offset premiums. First, drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in these plans accounted for a small proportion of total expenses for all enrollees, and the subsidy would have helped offset less than one-third of these expenses. Second, because the same plans offered to currently employed enrollees were offered to retirees, the effect of the subsidy would have been diluted when spread across all enrollees. However, officials we interviewed from two large plans with high shares of elderly enrollees stated that the subsidy would have lowered premium growth for their plans. Officials from one of these plans estimated that 2006 premium growth could have been 3.5 to 4 percentage points lower.

Our analysis of the potential effect of the retiree drug subsidy on all plans in FEHBP showed that had OPM applied for the subsidy and used it to offset premium growth, the subsidy would have lowered the 2006 premium growth by 2.6 percentage points from 6.4 percent to about 4 percent. The reduction in premium growth would have been a onetime reduction for 2006. Absent the drug subsidy, FEHBP premiums in the future would likely be more sensitive to drug cost increases than would be premiums of other large plans that received the retiree drug subsidy for Medicare beneficiaries.

OPM officials explained that there was no need to apply for the subsidy because the intent of the subsidy was to encourage employers to continue offering prescription drug coverage to Medicare-eligible enrollees, and FEHBP plans were already doing so. The potential effect of the subsidy on premium growth would also have been uncertain because the statute did not require employers to use the subsidy to mitigate premium growth.

Changes in the Cost and Utilization of Services and Enrollee Demographics Accounted for Differing Premium Growth Among FEHBP Plans

Officials we interviewed from most of the FEHBP plans with higher-than- average premium growth in 2006 cited increases in the actual cost and utilization of services and high shares of elderly enrollees and early retirees as key drivers of premium growth. Our analysis of financial data provided by six of these plans showed that the average increase in total expenditures per enrollee from 2003 through 2005 was about 40 percent— compared with the average of 25 percent for five large FEHBP plans that represented about two-thirds of total FEHBP enrollment. From 2001 through 2005, the average age of enrollees across all eight plans with higher-than-average premium growth increased by 2.7 years—compared with an average increase of 0.5 years across all FEHBP plans.

Officials we interviewed from most of the FEHBP plans with lower-than- average premium growth in 2006 cited adjustments for previously overestimated projections of cost growth and benefit changes that resulted in less generous coverage for prescription drugs as factors that limited premium growth. Our analysis of financial data provided by two plans showed that per-enrollee expenditures for prescription drugs increased by 3 percent for one plan and 13 percent for the other from 2003 through 2005—compared with 30 percent for the average of the five large FEHBP plans. Also, from 2001 through 2005, the average age of enrollees across all six of these plans decreased by 0.5 years—compared with an average increase of 0.5 years across all FEHBP plans.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be happy to answer any questions that you or other Members of the subcommittee may have.

Contacts and Acknowledgements

For future contacts regarding this testimony, please contact John E. Dicken at (202) 512-7119 or dickenj@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this testimony. Randy Dirosa, Assistant Director; Iola D’Souza; and Timothy Walker made key contributions to this testimony.

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