Press Release- Towers Watson
May 25 2010

Although U.S. employers view controlling health care costs as their highest health care reform priority, few believe that the recently enacted Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will stem the tide of rising costs, according to a May 2010 survey by Towers Watson (NYSE, NASDAQ: TW), a global professional services company...
In order to cope with anticipated cost increases, many employers plan on:

• Passing on increases to employees (88%)
• Reducing health benefits and programs (74% )
• Absorbing costs in the business (33%)
• Passing on increases to customers (20%)

(Many employers anticipate switching to "consumer directed high deductible plans". These plans put the risk and the costs on the employees and off the employer or the insurer.)

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Physicians for a National Health Program Dr. Don McCanne responds:
...This is the insurance that President Obama, during his campaign, promised that you could keep if you wanted to. What he didn't tell you is that, in most instances, you will not be permitted to drop that plan and select another one in the state insurance exchanges. As long as the employer's plan has an actuarial value of 60 percent (you pay an average of 40 percent of the medical bills), you are prohibited from selecting a better plan in the exchanges. Read full comments