--- title: Strategies to Reduce Health Benefits Costs in 2022 description: Here are four strategies to help employers reduce health benefits costs in 2022. image: https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hubfs/blog-headers/2022-health-care-costs-b.jpg --- ![Strategies to Reduce Health Benefits Costs in 2022](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hubfs/blog-headers/2022-health-care-costs-b.jpg) # Strategies to Reduce Health Benefits Costs in 2022 - Home - [Employee Benefit News for School, City and County Employers](https://blog.nisbenefits.com) - Strategies to Reduce Health Benefits Costs in 2022 [ Erin Woulfe ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/erin-woulfe) 01/21/2022 [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news), [ COVID-19](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19) [0 Comments ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/strategies-to-reduce-health-benefits-costs-in-2022#postComment) 2 Minutes *3.5 minute read* It’s probably no surprise to hear that medical expenses and health plan premiums will increase again in 2022. Experts predict a 6.5% increase in medical expenses alone, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. And employers anticipate that health plan premiums may rise more than 5% in 2022, according to a Willis Towers survey. To rein in benefits spending, employers may want to strategize methods. Here are four ways to help. ** ** #### **Health Care Literacy** In recent years, there has been a push for better health care literacy. The thought is that if employees better understand their health care options, they can save money and improve their overall well-being. The more educated employees are about their health care topics, the most money they can potentially save. Employees should be taught basic concepts such as when to visit the emergency room versus an urgent care, the difference between coinsurance and deductibles, and how to price shop for services. The education employers invest in now will pay for itself later through healthier employees and reduced health expenses.   #### **Telemedicine** During the pandemic, many employers and employees embraced telemedicine, which allows a person to visit their doctor over the internet. As of mid-2021, 46% of consumers were using telemedicine to replace in-person health visits. Additionally, 76% of consumers said they were interested in using telemedicine going forward, according to a McKinsey and Company survey. Employers can look into offering or expanding their current telemedicine offerings for employees.   #### **Prescription Drug Policy Revisions** Prescription drug offerings are great additions to health plans, but they can sometimes increase costs if not used properly. Employees will need to be educated about their drug plan, name brand vs. generic prescriptions, how to shop around for the best prices, etc. Arming them with this information will help them make smarter choices and keep costs low.   #### **Alternative Plan Modeling** One common way to reduce benefits costs is to increase employees’ share of expenses. This could be done through premium increases but may cause more problems for an employer. A more careful approach to lowering expenses may be done through alternative plan modeling. Instead of a traditional health plan, employers can think about other plan designs that can still benefit employees without excessive costs like consumer driven health plans or self-funding. Each of these plan types has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending upon the organization’s unique circumstances.   #### **Summary** There are many ways to control benefit spending, but they may not all work for each organization. It’s important for employers to closely analyze their health plan data and assess where they spend the most to help create a successful strategy. [Download the bulletin](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hubfs/Blog%20-%20supporting%20documents/bulletin-4-strategies-reducing-health-benefits-costs-2022.pdf) for more details.   *This blog is intended to be a compilation of information and resources pulled from federal, state, and local agencies. This is not intended to be legal advice. For up to the minute information and guidance on COVID-19, please follow the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and your local health organizations.* [![5 ways to reduce health care costs](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3325505/64c4cab8-7a0d-4638-843d-159c07715082.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3325505/64c4cab8-7a0d-4638-843d-159c07715082) --- #### Tag: [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news) [ COVID-19](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19) #### Share: - [Follow us on Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://blog.nisbenefits.com/strategies-to-reduce-health-benefits-costs-in-2022) - [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.nisbenefits.com/strategies-to-reduce-health-benefits-costs-in-2022&text=Strategies%20to%20Reduce%20Health%20Benefits%20Costs%20in%202022) - [Follow us on Linkedin ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.nisbenefits.com/strategies-to-reduce-health-benefits-costs-in-2022) - [Follow us on Pinterest ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://blog.nisbenefits.com/strategies-to-reduce-health-benefits-costs-in-2022&text=Strategies%20to%20Reduce%20Health%20Benefits%20Costs%20in%202022description=3.5%20minute%20read%20It’s%20probably%20no%20surprise%20to%20hear%20that%20medical%20expenses%20and%20health%20plan%20premiums%20will%20increase%20again%20in%202022.%20Experts%20predict%20a%206.5%%20increase[...]&media=https://info.nisbenefits.com/hubfs/blog-headers/2022-health-care-costs-b.jpg) --- [ #### Shorter COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Recommended ##### Previous Post ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/shorter-covid-19-isolation-and-quarantine-recommended) [#### Supreme Court Stays OSHA’s ETS ##### Next Post ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/supreme-court-stays-oshas-ets) ### Leave a Reply This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Category - [Legislative News (1149)](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news) - [Health Insurance Solutions (504)](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions) - [COVID-19 (209)](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19) - [Ancillary Benefits (175)](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/ancillary-benefits) - [Mental Health (122)](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/mental-health) ### Popular Posts [ Steve Smith ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/steve-smith) 02/16/2024 [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions) [ Understanding Embedded vs. Nonembedded Deductibles ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/understanding-embedded-nonembedded-deductibles) [ Erin Woulfe ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/erin-woulfe) 02/09/2026 [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news) [ IRS Releases 2027 Health Plan Cost-sharing Limits ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2027-health-plan-cost-sharing-limits) [ Valerie Ortiz ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/valerie-ortiz) 02/17/2026 [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ The Administrator's Corner](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/the-administrators-corner) [ 4 Employee Wellness Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2026 ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2026-employee-wellness-trends) [ Dina Lubben ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/dina-lubben) 11/14/2025 [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news) [ Trump Administration Unveils Plan to Make GLP-1 Drugs Affordable ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/trump-administration-plan-glp1-drugs-affordable) --- ## Related Posts [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ Ancillary Benefits](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/ancillary-benefits), [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news), [ COVID-19](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19), [ Mental Health](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/mental-health) [ Erin Woulfe ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/erin-woulfe) 08 January, 2024 #### [2024 Employee Benefit Trends](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2024-employee-benefit-trends) 4 minute read Since the COVID-19 pandemic, employers have faced challenges in attracting and… [Read More](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2024-employee-benefit-trends) [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news), [ COVID-19](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19), [ Mental Health](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/mental-health) [ Steve Smith ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/steve-smith) 20 December, 2023 #### [2024 Health Plan Compliance Issues](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2024-health-plan-compliance-issues) 4.5 minute read Employers should be aware of the compliance issues impacting their health plan… [Read More](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/2024-health-plan-compliance-issues) [ Health Insurance Solutions](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/health-insurance-solutions), [ Legislative News](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/aca-other-legislative-news), [ COVID-19](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/topic/covid-19) [ Steve Smith ](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/author/steve-smith) 05 July, 2023 #### [Important Information for HDHPs Regarding COVID-19 and Preventive Care](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hdhps-covid-19-and-preventive-care) 2.5 minute read The IRS recently issued Notice 2023-37, providing updated guidance for high… [Read More](https://blog.nisbenefits.com/hdhps-covid-19-and-preventive-care)