Dive Brief:

• Private health insurance exchanges have moved from experiment to full-blown platform for many employer's health benefit strategies, but the early reviews are mixed, according to a column at Employee Benefit News.
• The EBN article outlines that despite being a viable alternative to the traditional healthcare coverage market, large employers remain skeptical, as only 6% of employers are using the private exchanges.
• One of the key stumbling blocks is that larger employers do not want to move from a self-insured scenario to a fully insured situation, according to the article.

Dive Insight:

According to EBN, private exchanges can potentially reduce benefit costs, cut admin and effectively engage employees. They can also support employees in their efforts to stay healthy and to effectively navigate the health care system.

Employees who took a chance on exchanges have found positives including "market competitiveness, consistent plan design, comprehensive and targeted communication strategies and better rates," all due to the advantage of being part of a larger group.

Even with those upsides, many employers are taking a "wait-and see" perspective. To move the needle, exchanges will need to clearly outline how an exchange will save employers time and money, but also improve the employee experience with their healthcare plan.