The most obvious trends among employer-sponsored medicalplans have been well documented: broad cost-shifting to employees,deductibles on the rise, specialty prescription costsskyrocketing.

But beneath these high-level plan characteristics lies anotherlevel that is not as well quantified. In its 2016 Medical PlanTrends and Observations Report, leadership and technologyconsulting firm CEB digs deeper into plan characteristics thatemerged this year.

Virtual Care

CEB's research discloses a 50 percent gain in the number ofcompanies in the survey that say they are using telemedicineservices—one of the largest jumps in any category. More than athird now offer these services; by 2018, that will grow to 64percent.

Implications for executives: Asonline patient medical consultations explode, “employers shouldeducate employees on the appropriateness of virtual care for theirhealth care needs. For example, employers should emphasize thatvirtual consultations are not a substitute for regular visits witha primary care physician.”

Wellness Incentives

About half of those surveyed have wellness programs, and they'reramping up the incentives to promote participation.

Implications: “Wellnessprograms, when strategic in nature and offered holistically(including emotional, mental, and even financial wellness), canfurther improve the employers' operations by increasing employeeproductivity, engagement, and retention.”

Pregnancy Costs

Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)requires employers to offer many free maternity services, not allfall under the Act's requirements. And employers are raising theemployee share of those costs. In fact, the survey found thatout-of-pocket expenses for an in-hospital birth were up 35 percentthis year.

Implications: “Organizationsshould be wary of increasing hospital costs too aggressively, asemployees are particularly cost-sensitive to them, especially formaternity-related services.” Option: “Offer financial planning andcounseling to help employees choose the best plan and save (throughhealth savings accounts) for post-pregnancy services.”

Surcharges

Employers are looking to spousal surcharges to recover somecosts, with “41 percent of employers introducing or planningto introduce spousal surcharges and a few even excluding spousesfrom coverage altogether.”

Implications: “Use of spousalsurcharges may merit a closer look as many employers considereliminating same-sex domestic partner coverage (as it is rolledinto spousal coverage).”

CEB's overall advice to management is that cost-cutting andshifting of costs to employees may be “trendy” in 2016, buttop-performing companies will want to weigh the benefits of costmanagement versus the benefits of a workforce that is more engaged.When employees enjoy a healthy benefits package that doesn'tnickel-and-dime them, but allows them to utilize their coverage forbetter health, they perform better.