More than 60% of New England employers are considering offering a health savings account by 2007, according to research released Thursday by the New England Employee Benefits Council.
The study also found that 17% of the companies contacted already have a health savings account or will introduce one within a year. Nearly three-quarters of the employers planning to add health savings accounts said they do not intend to drop other health plans for the foreseeable future.
Most employers also said they plan to keep deductibles to the minimum required by law, and more than half said they do not intend to change premium cost-sharing with employees. Most also reported increases in health-care costs of 7.5% to 10% this year.
The study questioned 106 for-profit and not-for-profit employers with combined health plan enrollments exceeding 522,000.
