Employers and insurers press to lower benchmark; advocates urge keeping 3.6% and investing in primary care

Three stakeholder groups told the Health Policy Commission hearing they want different policy responses to the CHIA data: business representatives and health plans urged a lower benchmark and stronger accountability tools; consumer advocates urged keeping the benchmark at 3.6% and directing investments to primary care and access.

Eileen McEnany, president of the Employer Coalition on Health, told the hearing: “If we want to reduce the cost of health care, we must first reduce the cost benchmark and impose different penalties for non‑compliance.” McEnany said employers face double‑digit increases in premiums and cited employer surveys and recent rate actions; she argued a lower benchmark would “signal that we are finally serious about getting healthcare cost under control” and would force…