BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HighRoads, the company providing employers - for the first time - complete control over their health care costs and compliance, today announced new research data from The Lab®, HighRoads' benefits benchmarking tool, which shows key areas where employers are working to reduce their health care costs. Top areas that have changed between 2008 and 2009 include increases in copays, increases in family deductibles and reductions in administrative fees for Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

As health insurance costs continue to skyrocket employers continue to work to find ways to reduce their overall health care costs while minimizing the impact on their employees, said Josh Miley, principal, HighRoads. Based on live data from our benefits benchmarking tool, The Lab, employers continue to seek innovative solutions to solve their health insurance needs while maintaining overall cost control.

The Lab, which contains design and related cost information for over 5,000 medical plans is used by plan managers to benchmark medical programs at a granular level in real time. Based on a recent data snapshot, The Lab reveals the following trends:

For HMO Plans:

• Between 2008 and 2009, the median copay amounts increased by $5 for primary care and $10 for specialty care to $20 and $30 respectively.
• The median 2008 three-tier retail Rx copay of $10/$20/$37.50 (generic/brand formulary/brand non-formulary) increased to $10/$22.50/$40 in 2009.
• These combined HMO design changes yielded approximately a 2% reduction in HMO premiums resulting in final median HMO increase of about 4%.

For PPO Plans:

• The median specialty physician copay increased from $20 in 2008 to $27.50 in 2009. Primary care physician copays remained relatively unchanged at $20.
• Rx copays remained relatively unchanged with the exception of generic prescription drug copays which decreased from $10 to $7.
• Employers are subsidizing dependent health care costs at a lower rate. The median family deductible increased from $600 in 2008 to $650 in 2009.
• These combined PPO design changes yielded approximately a 1% reduction in PPO premiums.

Other Observations:

• Self-insured employers saw a slight 3% increase in median per-employee-per-month (PEPM) administrative fees.
• As High Deductible Health Plans coupled with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have increased in popularity their associated administration fees have decreased from over $4 PEPM in 2007 to a median of $3.25 PEPM in 2009.

To access the complete report on HighRoads's benchmark findings and observations, please visit: www.thehrlab.com.

About The Lab

The Lab allows users to track market trends and accurately pinpoint the underlying factors driving them. Real plan and cost information is added to the benchmark on an ongoing basis, covering a range of market industries and company demographics. HighRoads is pioneering the way that companies manage and analyze their HR information. For more information or to register for a free trial, go to www.thehrlab.com.

About HighRoads

The world's largest employers choose HighRoads to gain complete control over their health care costs and compliance. With HighRoads' service, employers - for the first time - have online access to benefits plan information and pricing, competitive benefits benchmarks, and complete benefits supply chain management. The privately-held company is headquartered in Woburn, Mass.

HighRoads Company Contact:

Petra Marino, 781-503-4031

pmarino@highroads.com

or

HighRoads Media Contact:

Erin Jones, 704-664-2170

erinj@Spiralgroup.com



Source: HighRoads