MCOL Releases 2007 Editions of Consumer Driven Care Guidebook and Training Kit CD-ROM - Includes Company Specific Enrollment and Premium Research.

MCOL Research Reveals Higher CDHP Enrollment than National Policy & Research Organizations Report; HDHP Premium Increases of 2.5% Compared to 6.0% for Lowest Price Plans and Average 10.4% Lower Premiums than Lowest Price Alternative

MODESTO, Calif. -- MCOL, the premiere business-to-business publisher of health management and managed care resources, has released the Consumer Driven Care Guidebook 2007 edition, and version 6.0 of its popular Consumer Driven Care Training Kit CD-ROM. Detailed information for both of these new Consumer Driven Care resources is available on-line at https://www.managedcarestore.com (under featured products) or by calling 209.577.4888.

MCOL company specific surveys indicated there were 5,237,550 account based Consumer Driven Health Plan members across the nation in January 2006, and 6,041,379 members in mid-2006, with United Health Group holding the largest market share at 30.6%, followed by WellPoint at 11.6% and Aetna at 10.7%. The MCOL surveys also indicated enrollment with HSA and HRA account administrators, which are not included in the Health Plan totals to avoid double counting. The Guidebook and the Training Kit both include the company specific data.

"It is revealing to compare our company specific research to various market projections out there," says Clive Riddle, MCOL President. "A couple of the most prestigious national health care policy and research organizations pegged 2006 consumer driven enrollment at just 2.7 million, while of course other organizations have projected numbers much higher than ours."

The new releases include key new consumer driven research, market intelligence, and company information. The 2007 Consumer Driven Care Guidebook is $178; the Consumer Driven Care Training Kit CD-ROM is $195. A Consumer Driven Care Package for both is available for $279.00. Site Licenses are available by calling 209.577.4888.

MCOL research staff also examined 390 separate High Deductible Health Plan premiums, yielding 681 state specific rates for analysis that compared 2007 to 2006 rates as well as to the lowest priced alternative traditional HMO or PPO plan available in open enrollment. The rates were derived from the FEHBP as well as a variety of other organizations. The analysis indicated an average 2007/2006 premium increase of 2.5% for HDHPs, compared to 6.0% for traditional plans, with HDHP plans averaging 10.4% lower in premium than the lowest priced alternative plan, with 71.2% of all HDHPs having a lower premium than the lowest price alternative. The entire database of the premiums analyzed is included in the Guidebook and the Training Kit.

The new 406 page soft cover Guidebook now lists 280 Consumer Driven organizations in the Company Directory (including 112 plans and 78 account administrators), identifies strategic partners and available products, indicates current and historical enrollment for over 75 organizations, and lists over 670 executives involved with consumer driven care along with their titles, contact information, website, and company profile. More than 140 more executives and 60 additional organizations are listed compared to the previous edition. The Executive Profile Directory has been completely updated, with profiles and contact information for 184 industry leaders. The 74 page HSA specifications section by nationally recognized experts Ashley Gillihan and John Hickman of Alston & Bird, LLC., was completely re-written to reflect the latest marketplace, regulatory and technical information and contains additional 16 pages. The 70 page Consumer Driven Primer is fully updated and includes three new chapters, and the Case Studies and Key Facts sections also reflect significant updates and new data.

Version 6.0 of the Consumer Driven Care Training Kit includes electronic versions of the Consumer Driven Primer, Key Facts and Case Studies from the Guidebook, plus contains a fully updated presentation on market research, company listings with enrollment data, an added spreadsheet version of the HDHP premium rate database, a full text library of 25 applicable regulations and IRS guidance documents, an interactive quiz and a video and audio module including a full one hour recording of the recent Healthcare Web Summit Audio Conference "Consumer Driven Premium Rates, Benefits and Open Enrollment", plus three podcast recordings and two video clips. Samples from each module are available on-line.

About MCOL

MCOL publishes knowledge resources for health management, managed care, and other health professionals through Membership services, HealthcareWebSummits, HealthQuest Publications, e-learning software, e-commerce, specialty web sites, e-business solutions and news releases through the HealthExecWire division. MCOL is based in Modesto, California, with additional offices in Portland, Oregon. For more information, please visit www.mcol.com/about.htm, or call 209.577.4888.