Consumer-Driven Healthcare Plans and Employee Benefit Plans to Foster More Consumerism among Employees Are among the Top Five Areas of Concern to Employee Benefit Specialists.

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28716) has announced the addition of New Strategies in the Growth of Consumer Driven Healthcare, Live Audio-Conference on CD-ROM to their offering.

New Strategies in The Growth of Consumer Driven Healthcare is a CD Rom of the Conference, which includes conference materials.

Pushed by the federal governments embrace of consumer decision-making along with soaring costs of healthcare, employers and health plans are adopting consumer driven health plans.

Then, the legislation providing for the creation of tax deductible health savings accounts (HSAs) as part of the recently enacted Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, fueled the keen interest by employers and MCOs alike.

During 2004, many leading health plans around the country teamed with financial institutions to develop HSAs.

In 2003, 11 percent of companies offered such plans and enrolment stood at 500,000.

This year, it is estimated that the numbers will swell to 2.7 million individuals and reach $16 billion in premiums. By 2007, it is projected that CDHC plans will earn $88 billion and have a 7 percent market share, up from just 2 percent in 2005.

"New Strategies in the Growth of Consumer Driven Healthcare" a new executive-level tele-briefing was held on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005 at 1:30 PM Eastern time.

Consumer-driven healthcare plans and employee benefit plans to foster more consumerism among employees are among the top five areas of concern to employee benefit specialists, according to the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists and the Human Capital Practice of Deloitte Consulting LLP.

Indeed, Mercer Human Resource Consulting reported that in a survey of 991 employers, nearly three-quarters said it is very likely (19 percent) or somewhat likely (54 percent) that they will offer their workers a health savings account with a high-deductible health plan by 2006.

"New Strategies in the Growth of Consumer Driven Healthcare" looked at the implications of the growth of CDHP and HSAs from all sides, separating fact from fiction.

Program Agenda:

--How the healthcare environment nurtures the growth of consumer-driven healthcare

--The emerging impact of consumer influences on healthcare

--Employer perspectives on embracing consumer-driven options

--Understanding the growing interest in consumer-driven healthcare

--The new "fledgling" consumer-driven plans

--Consideration toward adding or moving to a consumer-driven healthcare model

--Healthcare cost and employees' utilization rates;

--How to use CDH to manage your healthcare costs in the future

--Promoting increased employee consumerism for health and welfare plans

--How to improve employee acceptance/enrollment in CDH programs

--Addressing CDH critics; e.g., not feasible for low-income workers; may function as tax shelter for healthy/wealthy.

Plus a live Question and Answer Session

Speaker Panel:

-- Bridget Eber, Senior Health Care Strategy Consultant, Hewitt Associates

-- Dale A. Rayman, consultant, Towers Perrin

-- Melissa Tobler RN, Principal, Clinical Strategies Consultant, Palmer & Cay and Greg Waterstradt, Principal, Palmer & Cay

Who Will Benefit From The CD-ROM Of The Audio Conference:

Health plans and providers, CEOs, CFOs, employers, human resource benefit managers, medical directors, sales and marketing executives, employer health plan decision makers, network development and provider services directors, strategic planners, utilization management, MCO plan healthcare management, brokers, TPAs, network managers, physician practice management company executives, medical management directors, PHO and IPA leadership, analysts, implementer consultants, account services and administration executives and ancillary products managers.

"Attend" this program right in your office and enjoy significant savings - no travel time or hassle; no hotel expenses. It's so convenient! Invite your staff members to participate.

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c28716