Dive Summary:
- The annual study by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources found that--for the first time since at least 2009--the rate of growth for health care costs was lower than they year before, with median spending rising by 6.7% for employee-only coverage and 6% for employee/family coverage, as compared to 7.3% increases in both categories in 2011.
- Costs were still higher than the previous year, but a third of the responding institutions reported that they had "developed a strategy for what their health care benefits should be in three years."
- Additionally, the lower rate of growth for health care costs could be partly attributed to the increase of colleges and universities with wellness programs aimed at promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors that might prevent the need for medical care, though it's difficult to determine the reach of these programs.
From the article:
Colleges spent more on health costs for their employees in 2012 than they did in 2011, but the rate of growth slowed from the year before, perhaps in part because campuses are focusing increasingly on preventive care and on plotting out their health care costs years in advance, according to data from a new survey. The annual study by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources surveys campuses about their health care benefits and, in even-numbered years like this one, their non-health benefits, too. About 350 respondents, representing about 485 institutions, participated in the 2012 survey. ...