Choosing the Right Health-Care Plan

It's Benefit-Election Time for 2012, and—Surprise!—Employers Are Passing Along More Costs; Dealing With a 'Health Coach'

ANNA WILDE MATHEWS
WSJ

If you were hoping that your health-plan costs would stay the same next year, you're probably going to be disappointed.

It's open-enrollment season, that time of year when most companies roll out changes to their benefit offerings. Employees typically have a few weeks to elect their packages for the upcoming year.

The big kahuna, as always, is health care, the most important benefit companies offer their workers. And for 2012, employers are once again stepping up their push to force workers to take more responsibility for their own costs and health—though unlike this year, there will be few major changes related to the federal health-care overhaul.

Still, there are plenty of tweaks to deal with. Many employees will face increased out-of-pocket expenses, which are the charges they pay for health-care services. Notably, there will be a jump in the use of high deductibles—the upfront sums employees pay before coverage kicks in. To help workers defray those costs, some employers are offering financial incentives to those who make efforts to track and improve their health.

(More here.)