Jumbo Employers React to Supreme Court Scenarios According to New Research Study

ST. LOUIS, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Supreme Court ruling on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is due any day. Regardless of the ruling, the news will have wide reaching implications on employer benefits offerings. Predictive research conducted in April for Benfield's 2012 Special Report on Healthcare Reform sheds light on the reactions we can expect from Jumbo employers regarding their active employee populations.  In the U.S. Jumbo employers cover the largest number of active lives with 1,956 jumbo employers covering 58 million lives.

If the law is nullified nearly all plans for employer benefits actions drop considerably and plans to reduce benefit offerings to avoid 2018 Cadillac tax will be dropped.  If the law is upheld employers will be prompted to take action and most likely Consumer Directed Health Plans (CDHP)/Full Replacement CDHP are the most planned actions.  If the Supreme Court strikes the individual mandate and maintains the rest of the law then employers will behave as if the law was upheld.  No matter what the decision is employers have few plans to move employees to state or private exchanges or drop healthcare coverage.

Benfield's 2012 Special Report on Healthcare Reform will be available to subscribers July 2012. A subsequent survey with the same employers post-Supreme Court ruling is planned and will be reported in a supplement to ensure purchasers have the most current and actionable data on the impact of the Court's decision. 

Senior consultants from The Benfield Group are available to comment about this landmark decision, research and the implications for business.

About The Benfield Group:

The Benfield Group is a health care market research, strategy and communications firm. We believe that solutions to health care's cost and quality challenges will come from value-focused partnerships among stakeholders in the health care supply chain. We help healthcare companies focus on employers as key customers, and help them develop and implement effective employer strategies. We also provide strategic communications support for employers to help them gain executive and cross-organizational support for human capital improvement strategies. www.benfield.com

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SOURCE The Benfield Group