Employee Benefits Survey: U.S. and Canada 2007

Based on member requests and need, the International Foundation has developed a broad employee benefits survey to benchmark the benefits offerings and design of four distinct employment sectors throughout the United States and Canada.Members of both the International Foundation and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists were surveyed online in May, resulting in 1,233 responses from corporations, multiemployer benefit plans, professional service firms and public employers. These  responses were compiled and analyzed to produce a book, Employee Benefits Survey: U.S. and Canada 2007. Some highlights of the survey results appear below.

U.S. Results

• 35.7% of respondents offer some type of consumer-driven health care option.
  Of these, the most popular is a high-deductible plan with a health savings account (HSA).
• The five most popular prescription drug cost-management tools and techniques are mail-order drug programs, drug formularies, three or more cost-sharing tiers, pharmacy benefit managers, and mandating or promoting generic drug use.
• More than half of survey participants offer some form of adoption benefits.
• About 50% of respondents estimate their benefit costs as a percentage of payroll to be 31% or more.
• 16.7% of respondents have a cash balance plan.
• 75.7% of organizations offer one or more defined contribution (DC) pension plans.
• The majority of organizations offer short- and long-term disability, and 58.2% offer paid sick leave. (See the table.)

Results Specific to Multiemployer Plans

• Most multiemployer plans use one or more provisions to help employees retain health  care coverage during periods of unemployment or noncovered employment.
• 86.4% of multiemployer plans fully or partially self-fund their health care benefits.

Results Specific to Public Employers

• According to respondents, 86.2% of public employers offer a defined benefit (DB) pension plan, and 62.1% offer a DC pension plan.
• Sabbaticals are most common among public employers.

Results Specific to Corporations

• 42.8% of corporations offer some type of consumer-driven health care option.
• 27.9% have a cash balance pension plan.
• 61% offer some type of adoption assistance.
• 95.5% offer some type of flexible benefit arrangement.

Results Specific to Professional Service Firms

• 43.7% of professional service firms offer some type of consumer-driven health care option.
• 81.7% offer a DC pension plan.

Canadian Results

• Just over half of employers estimate they spend 11% to 30% of total payroll on employee benefits.
• More than 94% of respondents offer extended health care plans.
• 97.9% of respondents offer prescription drug coverage.
• 47.1% use a flexible benefit arrangement.
• 51.4% of survey participants offer a DC pension plan.