Small Businesses and Individuals Face Greater Cost Sharing and Increasing Complexity

Abstract:

Rising health care costs put pressure on health plans to develop, and purchasers to buy, health coverage with less comprehensive benefits and more cost sharing at the point of service. Purchasers that are particularly price sensitive, such as small businesses and individuals, are especially likely to feel this pressure. This analysis presents examples of changing benefits introduced to small businesses and individual purchasers between summer 2001 and spring 2002. It describes the complexity of some cost-sharing arrangements and explores the implications for consumers.