In the ever-evolving world of health insurance and costs, many are asking what to expect for 2022.
Many get the standard messages or emails to enroll on the exchange (if they have in the past) and many employers are searching for options or trying to understand what changes to consider.
First and foremost, employers are expecting health coverage premiums to jump about 5% per covered
employee in 2022. This is after taking some cost-saving initiatives into account. Last year saw the
lowest jump in decades but it was considered an anomaly due to Covid-19. Many people turned to
telemedicine and would forego non-emergency care. Employers, especially those who carry a lot of
lower-wage workers understand the importance of healthcare costs to their employees. This is causing
many of the employers to spend more time researching cost saving initiatives and branching out to look at different options.
Here are some examples of cost-saving measures employers are looking at:
Telemedicine options – giving more options for deferred, non-emergency care. This includes
such things as counseling for mental health and drug or alcohol abuse.
Promotion of employer-based health incentive programs. This includes wellness promotion
programs within their company.
Network consideration – many employers are looking to narrow their networks to more
premium doctors or hospitals or lower cost healthcare providers.
Prescription plan options
Spousal surcharges – employers are looking at options to surcharge for a working spouse when
that spouse has coverage options through their employer.
At Catalyst Insurance Group we take great pride in the time we spend with employers to thoroughly
evaluate their health plans. We will help an employer understand cost saving initiatives and truly
evaluate the products they need or do not need based on the structure of their employees. It is a very
difficult place to navigate and we will give you the power to take control of your coverage needs and
more importantly, the budgets you have.
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