Health Plan Rates Projected to Continue Double-Digit Increase into '09
According to the results of a survey released by the ACS company Buck Consultants, a human resource and benefits consulting firm, costs for the most popular types of health care coverage are projected to increase at double-digit rates through the remainder of 2008 and into 2009.
In its 19th National Health Care Trend Survey, Buck Consultants found that health insurers reported an average prescription drug trend of 11.4 percent, down slightly from the 11.7 percent reported in the prior survey. The most popular types of health plans continue to increase more than 10 percent. They include Preferred Provider Organization (PPO): 11.1 percent; Point-of-service (POS): 10.8 percent; Health Maintenance Organization (HMO): 11.1 percent; High Deductible Consumer Driven: 10.7 percent.