Winning Health Benefit Concessions Remains Top Employer Priority, Survey Says
Two-thirds of surveyed employers said they would most like to gain concessions in health care/insurance benefits when conducting 2006 contract negotiations, according to a BNA study.
Two-thirds of surveyed employers said they would most like to gain concessions in healthcare/insurance benefits when conducting 2006 contract negotiations, according to BNA's annual Employer Bargaining Objectives survey, which sampled manufacturers, service/nonmanufacturing firms and nonbusiness entities (healthcare facilities, educational institutions and government agencies).
Healthcare provisions on cost-sharing in new contracts will be a leading target, the report found. Though most covered workers already contribute to health insurance costs through copayments, deductibles or premium contributions, about 48 percent of survey respondents will bargain to increase workers' existing payments and 14 percent will add new cost-sharing provisions in 2006.