Actuaries are predicting group health insurance premiums to increase 15-18 percent increase in 2019 due to a rise in health inflation.

Medical inflation is in the range of 18-24 percent across the country due to a rise in costs for medicines, medical equipment and hospitalization. Inevitably this will lead to a direct impact on the insurance costs for companies.

The premiums under group health plans are significantly lower than those of individual health insurance products. This is because of the number of people covered under the master plan and because the incidence of claims are lower.

Group health insurance loss ratios are almost 140 percent since some insurers were involved in heavy discounting to retain clients.

Increased non-communicable diseases are expected to increase employer-sponsored healthcare costs over the next three years. These diseases include heart disease, cancers, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and kidney diseases.

 

Employee Benefit Advisors provides employee benefits, tax-advantaged healthcare, compliance guidance for ACA and Health & Welfare DOL Audits, and PEO Advisory & Consulting Services.