Segal Announces 2009 Study of State Employee Health Benefits

CONTACT: Mary L. Feldman
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
212.251.5029
mfeldman@segalco.com

NEW YORK (7/20/09) — The Segal Company has released a report of results from its 2009 Study of State Employee Health Benefits. According to Rick Johnson, Segal's National Public Sector Health Practice Leader, "As states struggle with the effects of recession-related budget shortfalls, understanding the competitive environment is crucial as they explore possible savings in the cost of employee health coverage. This report provides information that can help states balance their need for fiscal savings with their ability to attract and retain talent."

For more than 30 years, The Segal Company has periodically gathered data about benefit plans for state employees. Data for this study was compiled from information available on state Web sites and augmented by information provided by state benefits administrators. This study covers all of the 50 States and the District of Columbia and reflects benefits offered to active, full-time employees in 2009.

Key findings include:

  • A large majority of states offer medical coverage through managed care plan designs.
  • The dominant design nationwide and in regions is a managed medical plan that allows employees to seek care from out-of-network providers at higher cost.
  • States with the smallest populations offer the greatest choice of medical plan types.
  • Multiple tiers for medical coverage are common.
  • For all medical plan types, cost sharing is greater for family coverage than for employee-only coverage.
  • There are regional differences in cost sharing.
  • Annual per-person deductibles of under $1,000 are common.
  • Lifetime maximums for medical coverage are uncommon.
  • For prescription drug coverage, copayments are much more common than coinsurance.
  • Most states that provide dental coverage offer a managed dental plan.

The full report is now available on the following page of the Segal Web site: http://www.segalco.com/publications/surveysandstudies/2009statestudy.pdf

About The Segal Company

The Segal Company (www.segalco.com) has been a leading, independent firm of benefit, compensation and human resources consultants since its founding in 1939. Segal is headquartered in New York and has more than 900 employees throughout the U.S. and in Canada. Clients include state and local governments, corporations, non-profit organizations, professional service firms, joint boards of trustees administering pension and health and welfare plans under the Taft-Hartley Act.

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