Roulston Healthcare Partner Randy Vogenberg on whether Employers will Abandon Health Care Plan Coverage Under Obamacare

The consulting firm McKinsey & Company was thrust into the political spotlight Tuesday after it published a study finding that, once fully implemented, the health care reform law will drive huge numbers of employers to drop or dramatically restructure their companies' health care benefits.

According to McKinsey this survey was not done by their healthcare group or senior consultants and is at odds with prior surveys, expert consensus, and experience from the only state - MA - where ~5 years after universal care has been in-place, 78% of employers provide healthcare vs. 70% before, highest in the nation. This link shows how embarrassed McKinsey is about this: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/06/multiple-sources-throw-controversial-mckinsey-health-care-study-under-the-bus.php#more.

Unlike most surveys McKinsey refuses to release the details of the survey participants and the survey methodology which makes it even more suspect: http://www.plansponsor.com/Despite_Anticipated_Costs_Most_Employers_to_Keep_Health_Care_Benefits.aspx

The recently released IFEBP (International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, WI) survey on the same topic, if employers will drop out of coverage, is here: The message is that many unknowns remain in health care owing from the stalled implementation of health reform, and each stakeholder or influencer continues to be engaged in posturing whilst incremental decisions are being made. It also shows that published surveys from any source can not only be flawed or not but create an immediate firestorm causing a retreat to safe ground once again.


Randy Vogenberg is principal at the Institute for Integrated Healthcare which offers health care and employer based benefits strategic consulting, value based benefit plans and design, pharmaceutical, diagnostic & device industry training, advising on managed customer linkages, and health policy and applied economic issues analyses for benefit design solution opportunities in the health care marketplace. He also principal of Bentelligence which provides a 360 degree view of benefits advisors, health plans and employer plan sponsors. It is a web based market intelligence tool and expert support for all stakeholders in health care. In addition, Randy recently wrote a book called Pharmacy Benefits that addresses benefit plan design, the selection of a pharmacy benefits manager and pharmacy network, compliance, specialty pharmacy, and cost-saving strategies which you can purchase at www.ifebp.org/pharmacy.