A 400-employee transportation company tried to find a way to keep its HMO costs from rising more than 6 percent.

Response: “Our principal move was to raise average monthly contributions. For employees with single coverage, we raised these from $90 to $95,” the firm’s controller told us. “For family coverage, we raised monthly contributions from $340 to $360. To help retain employee good will, we decided to maintain the copayment for visits to a physician at $18, which was viewed positively.”

Result: The company was able to keep its HMO costs down.

OUTSOURCE BENEFITS FUNCTIONS AND IMPLEMENT ELECTRONIC ENROLLMENT

Issue: A transportation/utilities/communication company sought ways to cut its health care costs.

Response: “The outsourcing of benefits functions (i.e. billing) and the implementation of an electronic enrollment tool and communications portal have been very successful in reducing the staffing hours required to administer a 700-person health benefit plan,” the firm’s HR/benefits manager told us. And “in an environment of growing health care costs, moving to a self-insured model and changing some plan design features (i.e. increasing deductibles and brand name prescription copays) have helped contain, maybe not reduced, costs from year to year,” she added.

Result: Staffing hours were cut, reducing HR expenditures; self-insurance helped keep health care costs steady.

LOWER TOTAL BENEFITS COSTS WITH CHANGES IN DENTAL PLAN COVERAGE

Issue: A 1 50-employee services firm in New York sought ways to lower total benefits costs by changing its dental plan coverage.

Response: “Our dental plan is a popular benefit with stable costs, rising just 2 percent in the most recent year. Here, we decided to maintain the monthly employee contribution for coverage – that is, $1 7 for individual coverage and $50 for family,” the company’s controller told us. “But we decided to increase our maximum annual benefit amount from $1 ,250 to $1 ,500. This preserves the strength of our coverage for routine dental visits.”

Result: “We continue to pay 1 00 percent for preventive care but require a 20 percent coinsurance payment for most restorative services” which has helped control costs.

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