Survey finds companies lack gauge for health-care spending

Most American executives lament the soaring price of employee health-care costs, yet there are no standard benchmarks by which companies can compare those costs, according to a survey of the fastest-growing U.S. firms.

Only one fifth of 402 companies in a healthcare spending survey used any sort of financial benchmark to gauge their health care spending. Of that group, 43 percent estimated their health care costs as a percentage of payroll, and 23 percent used those costs as a percentage of revenue. The rest looked at operating budget, income and other benchmarks when developing medical insurance budgets.

The poll also noted how executives are trying to contain costs, which have reached more than $4,800 per employee this year.

Since 2000, more than half the companies, 57 percent, had raised employee deductibles and 54 percent had changed insurance carriers.