Report Looks at Health Benefits in California
Health insurance premiums for California businesses increased by 8.7% in 2006, according to a report by the California HealthCare Foundation, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports. The report also found that health insurance premiums disproportionately affect small businesses.
In a Q&A with the Business Journal, Jill Yegian, director of the health insurance program at the California HealthCare Foundation, said that health insurance cost increases posed a larger challenge to small businesses in part because they "have fewer enrollees across which to spread the cost of administering the health plan."
Yegian said, "The problem is the underlying costs of medical care, so the solution is not a new benefit package," adding, "The real solution is to develop lower-cost ways to deliver medical care."
Yegian also discussed the:
- Percentage of California employers that offer health insurance benefits or health savings accounts; and
- Availability of disease management programs (Cutland, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 12/11).