A new survey of business executives, all of whom supply employee benefits to their workers, say that the current state of the nation's health care system is in disarray.
Of the 500 randomly selected employers who responded to the poll, slightly more than two-thirds gave the overall performance of America's health care program a "C" grade or lower. Just one-third thought that it was worthy of an "A" or "B," according to professional services firm Deloitte.
Bill Copeland, national managing principal for life sciences at the staffing and advisory company, indicated that perceptions of health care – and the Affordable Care Act, in particular – might be improved with more guidance as to how to ensure every one of their workers are covered while doing so without substantially increasing their operating costs.
"Employers feel they lack the data and tools to manage their concerns around cost and quality," said Copeland. "I think in the coming year, they will join the front lines of the effort to improve the system by demanding more visibility and by strengthening the use of incentives and penalties to motivate employees toward healthful behaviors."
The report also detailed what employers anticipate their health care costs will be like in 2014. On average, they believe their total health costs will rise by nearly 20 percent next year versus 2013. Perhaps to offset them, more than one in four said that they invest in coaching and employee rewards that encourage their staff to take more of an active role in maintaining or improving their well-being.
Steve Calderia, CEO and president for the International Franchise Association, recently noted that some of the major problems business owners have with the ACA are establishing definitions that make it more difficult for them to operate, such as what qualifies as a full-time worker. The employer mandate stipulates that business owners who staff more than 50 workers and work at least 30 hours a week or more be supplied with health coverage.
