Helen Darling Costs Quotations

Leading employers in the U.S. remain committed to helping their employees with health benefits coverage and programs to improve their health and the health of their families. These employers know that one of the most important ways to control costs is to help employees and their families get and stay healthy.

Making the right purchasing decision involves factoring in a mix of cost and quality measures--but there are no standardized data sets on network costs that allow us to make apples-to-apples comparisons. These new HEDIS measures are a strong step in the right direction.

Our members are very excited about this program. Rising health costs are a major challenge for employers and their employees, and this program offers the opportunity to improve quality and consumer decision-making while possibly lowering costs.

Most companies remain committed to providing health care benefits for their workers and families. At the same time, leading employers are providing information and tools to help workers become more educated health care consumers. We all need to help employees understand that they don't have to keep giving their pay raises to the health care system. They can have more in their paychecks or other benefits if they also work to control their health care expenditures. Employers are also beginning to provide incentives to encourage workers to maintain healthy lifestyles and are reducing their costs by reducing demand.

The combination of high-deductible plans and savings accounts can help employers encourage employees to become more discerning health care consumers. Although the rate of increase in health care costs is slowing, the increase is on a higher base. Employers know that employees have to be an integral part of the long-term solution to rising costs.