2008 Health Benefits Survey
Small Companies Hardest Hit as Health Insurance
Costs Double in Six Years for NJ Employers
Employer health insurance costs rose by an average of 9.4 percent to $7,139 per employee in 2007, extending a period of high health-plan inflation that has seen costs double for many employers over the past six years.

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New Jersey Regional Healthcare Report Card
The New York State Health Accountability Foundation recently released its 2007 Regional Healthcare Report Card, the first edition of the report to include comparative information on commercial health insurance plans and hospitals in New York and New Jersey.

New Jersey Prescription Retail Price Drug Registry
The New Jersey Prescription Drug Retail Price Registry is a searchable database which allows you to compare retail prices for prescription drugs online. The registry contains the prices reported by New Jersey pharmacies for the 150 most-frequently prescribed drugs.

Are Health Savings Accounts for You?
Health Saving Accounts (HSAs) are receiving more press today than almost any other benefits-related issue. Unfortunately, most people still believe that a HSA is a type of health insurance program. The following information on HSAs and their companion, High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), should help clarify the use of these cost containment tools for benefit decision makers.

New Jersey HMO Report Card
To assess the quality of HMO plans available to New Jersey employers, review the HMO Performance Report Card or request a copy by calling 1-888-393-1062.

Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has developed workplace safety and health guidance that will help employers prepare for an influenza pandemic.  Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic provides general guidance for all types of workplaces, describes the differences between seasonal, avian and pandemic influenza, and presents information on the nature of a potential pandemic, how the virus is likely to spread and how exposure is likely to occur. Additional up-to-date information is also available through the federal government's Web site for information regarding pandemic flu.

Patient Safety Initiative: 2005 Summary Report
The report reviews the first year activities of the Patient Safety Initiative. The report includes a summary of the 2005 event reports and related RCAs including patient impact and identified causes.  View the report.

NJBIA Health Insurance Agenda
Our comprehensive 2006-07 healthcare agenda offers solutions for making New Jersey’s system of regulated health insurance coverage more affordable for employers. See Agenda.

NJBIA Pushes Real Healthcare Reform in Asbury Park Press
The cost of health insurance is rising three times faster than the rate of inflation, yet some politicians want large employers to pay even more. For those policymakers who are looking for real solutions to the problem of sky rocketing health insurance costs, Christine Stearns outlines NJBIA's health insurance reform plan in this new op-ed piece.

Mental Health Insurance Mandate Would Increase Insurance Costs
Legislation mandating businesses provide unlimited treatment for mental health disorders would add to employers' already skyrocketing costs. See NJBIA's June 19 testimony before the Assembly Health Committee opposing this massive healthcare mandate.

Hospital Costs Available From CMS
New state-by-state data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Medicare payments for common hospital procedures have been added for FY2005. Payment data for the top five procedures by utilization rate among all Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs) -- hip/knee replacement, gallbladder removal by laparoscope, back and neck operations, insertion of a heart defibrillator, and head and neck blood vessel operations -- are now available by state and region. Click here for more information.

Health Plan Costs Continue to Rise Faster than Inflation
The rate of increase in the cost of employer health benefits slowed again in 2005, but large increases over the last five years have left employers in New Jersey and the nation scrambling for solutions to manage already high costs, three national surveys have found. See magazine article.

NJBIA Says Cost is Key to Coverage
Controlling healthcare costs by offering more affordable basic health plans, improving quality and reforming the tax system is the best way to increase the number of people with health insurance, NJBIA Vice President Christine Stearns said today in advance of National Cover the Uninsured Week, to be held May 1-7. See News Release.

Get Control of Healthcare Costs to Expand Access, NJBIA Tells Committees
Controlling skyrocketing healthcare costs, not mandating exorbitant benefit levels that force businesses to pay even more, is the way to expand the availability of employer-provided healthcare benefits, NJBIA Vice President Christine Stearns told legislators during a March 2 hearing. See story.

New Jersey Health Link
Visit New Jersey HealthLink a central online repository for consumer healthcare resources.

New Jersey Hospital Report Card
The hospital report card includes information on how well each hospital in New Jersey treats patients with pneumonia, heart attack and heart failure using the recognized standard of care. View the report where you can create charts comparing hospitals' performance over the past three years.