Insurance picks at work will cost you more

The good news about next year’s health care premiums? They won’t rise as much as this year’s did. The bad news? Employers will still ask employees to shoulder more of the burden. Often, these additional costs come attached to consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs), which have supplanted HMOs as the second most popular kind of health plan and are currently offered by 58 percent of employers. Companies use a variety of strategies to try to coax employees to choose the CDHP, including picking up a bigger share of the premium, covering preventive medications before the deductible and making a financial contribution to the health savings accounts or health reimbursement arrangements that link to the plans. But although these perks sound appealing, it’s best to do your research. Although the premium may be lower in a CDHP, an employee’s costs may actually be higher, especially if they suffer from a chronic health condition.