Rising health care costs are prompting companies to reduce or eliminate their health insurance benefits in order to save money so they can remain in business. In fact, health care costs consistently rank among the top concerns of CEOs of the largest companies, and the rising health insurance bills are a serious problem for firms that compete globally. Today only 50 percent of employers offer health care benefits to their employees; the rate is even lower -- and descending -- among small businesses. Families are also hurt by rising health insurance premiums: worker pay raises are frequently offset by the additional cost of their health care benefits for the upcoming year.

Assignment: Review the health insurance options (next page) available to your company for the upcoming year and make a recommendation for the plan that best fits your employees needs as well as the organizations financial needs. Prepare a 1-2 page paper that includes the evaluation criteria bullet points may be a useful way to present your recommendations.

Renewal Rate Comparison United Healthcare Health Insurance vs. Anthem vs. Humana vs. WPS

Employees --Monthly Premiums	age	United Healthcare Current Monthly Policy Premium	Renew United Healthcare --monthly premium for next year	Anthem Insurance Option -- monthly premium for next year	Humana Insurance Option -- monthly premium for next year	WPS Insurance Option -- monthly premium for next year
Beckman, M	41	454.20	497.29	432.81	526.91	607.45
Brewer, M	42	462.73	516.72	440.46	536.22	618.18
Buday, J	34	425.77	465.03	403.56	491.30	566.39
Hammond, T	23	355.40	386.58	332.42	404.69	466.55
Krasselt, T	51	634.74	713.67	619.96	754.75	870.12
Lemke, M	24	355.40	396.58	332.42	404.69	466.55
Miels, C	24	355.40	396.58	332.42	404.69	466.55
Randers, D	28	372.46	428.47	361.34	439.90	507.14
Riddert, S (family plan)	55	1906.72	2059.28	1849.26	2251.31	2595.42
Ryans, R (family plan)	61	1929.12	2080.18	1868.20	2274.38	2622.02
Sawyer, D	27	363.93	414.18	348.38	424.12	488.94
Seidel, C (family plan)	51	2136.66	2299.76	2067.32	2516.79	2901.47
Thompson, M	30	397.69	436.07	377.30	459.33	529.53
Total Monthly Premium Note: 90% of premium is paid by employer		$10,150.22/mo*	$11,090.39/mo	$9765.85/mo	$11,889.08/mo	$13,706.31/mo
% Increase over last year			+9.2%	-3.8%	+17.1%	+35%

*The current policy cannot be renewed at this rate. The new rate for the current policy will rise 9.2% next year.

Benefit Comparison for Renewal Options	Current Year Policy Terms	Renew Current Policy for next year	Anthem Terms	Humana Terms	WPS Terms
Annual Deductible	$2,850/single $5,700/family	$2,850/single $5,700/family	$3,000/single $6,000/family	$4,000/single $8,000/family	$3,500/single $7,000/family
Out of pocket Maximum for Copays +deductible	$ 6,450 single $12,900 family	$ 6,450 single $12,900 family	$ 5,000 single $10,000 family	$4,000 single $8,000 family	$ 6,750 single $13,500 family
Physician Office Visit Copay	$30	$30	$35	$20	$25
Urgent Care Visit Copay	$50	$50	$150	$75	$50
Emergency Room Copay	$350	$350	$500	$350	$250

Evaluate the health insurance options (next page): United Healthcare is the current provider, and 90% of premiums are paid by the employer. Select the best plan for the company & compare the plan you recommend with the current plan:

• What are the advantages/disadvantages of your choice for the company?

• What are the advantages/disadvantages of your choice for the employee?