WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In the first round of results from
a
new internet-based survey of employers, "Monitoring Employer
Directions," the
National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) says that half of the
employers
surveyed believe employee involvement in managing their own care will
have the
greatest impact on reducing health care costs.
    The results from this initial survey, "Employer Cost Containment
Strategies," in the Forum on Health at http://www.***.com/ represent
the
opinions of over 100 employers throughout the nation focusing on how
companies
are dealing with staggering health care cost increases.  The survey
collects
topical information from benefits and human resource managers.
    According to Gregg O. Lehman, Ph.D., NBCH president, the
organization's
monthly survey will make it easier for employers to tackle the daily
challenges of providing health care benefits to employees.  "Our goal
is to
create a reliable flow of information between NBCH and employers
around the
nation.  We are looking at the most pertinent issues of the moment and
providing a simple tool to help employers monitor the state of our
nation's
health care economy," he said.
    Realistic improvement of employee lifestyles was the second area
for
future reductions.  The cost reduction factors of less concern to
employers
are surprisingly fewer government mandated benefits and reductions in
carrier
administrative costs.
    In addition to the cost containment survey results, NBCH recently
posted a
new survey, "Purchaser Efforts in Quality Management."  Results for
this
survey will be available November 16, 2001 at the NBCH website.
Survey
research is conducted by an independent, third-party, the HSM Group,
Ltd.,
Scottsdale, AZ.
    The National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) has a membership
of
nearly 85 employer-led coalitions across the United States,
representing over
8,000 employers and approximately 22 million employees and their
dependents.
NBCH employer coalitions are committed to community health reform,
including
an improvement in the value of health care provided through
employer-sponsored
health plans and to the entire community.
http://www.***.com/

My 02, If you manage your own healthcare the best you can, you'll
likely be healthier then one managed by someone else.