A report from benefits consulting firm Mercer shows that health insurance benefits are an important element of employers’ efforts to attract and retain employees. But the perceived value of health insurance benefits is declining among workers who complain about rising out-of-pocket costs in high deductible plans.
Most workers responding to the 2013 Mercer Workplace Survey agreed that benefits are just as important to them as their salaries. But among some workers, such as those who were under age 50, only 30 percent said their health insurance benefits were “definitely worth it.” In 2011, 45 percent of workers under age 50 said their health insurance benefits were “definitely worth it.” Mercer conducted the survey of 1,506 participants in retirement plans offered by U.S. companies and who also have health benefits from those companies.
The survey results showed that workers in companies with 500 or fewer employees were more likely than those in large companies of 2,000 or more workers to report that their health benefits had been scaled back, the report showed. A trend to scale back health benefits reflects efforts by smaller companies to control health benefit costs by increasing the deductibles and copayments for health insurance coverage, Mercer said.