Learn more about Health & benefits surveys of specific interest to Benefits Professionals.

2006 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans

Total health cost rose 6.1% in 2006, the same pace as last year, to an average of US$7,523 per employee, ending a three-year period in which employers succeeded in reducing the rate of growth in cost. The same increase – 6.1% – is also predicted for 2007.

Nearly 3,000 employers participated in Mercer’s 2006 National Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Plans, now in its 21st year. The survey is now the premier source of health benefit data for employers and the health care industry alike.

You can also view a 15-minute web program featuring survey highlights.

2006 Survey  on Health, Productivity and Absence Management Programs

With health-benefit cost inflation putting pressure on payrolls and budgets, your time-off programs can be a critical source of savings. The Mercer/Marsh Survey on Health, Productivity, and Absence Management Programs (formerly the Survey on Employers' Time-Off and Disability Programs) sheds light on the growing use of program management initiatives and plan integration – and resulting improvements in administrative efficiency and cost control.

The report covers vacation plans, paid-time-off banks, sick leave plans, disability benefits, workers’ compensation programs, health and productivity management, and behavioral health programs. It is the most comprehensive source of information available on plan design, costs, and management trends.

Mercer/NBGH Survey on Value-Driven Health Care

In February, NBGH and Mercer jointly conducted a survey of NBGH members and other large employers to assess employer awareness of, and support for, this value-driven approach to health care, and to learn what steps employers have already taken in this regard. The survey findings reflect the responses of 120 employers, about half (56) of which have 20,000 or more employees.

Back to top