Health Insurance Execs: Industry Changes Coming

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to the future of health insurance in the United States. And, opinions were readily shared this week at America’s Health Insurance Plans Institute 2012 in Salt Lake City. Connecture Inc., a sales automation technology provider in the health insurance space, conducted a survey of the health insurance executives at the conference, and made a number of conclusions, including:

· 56 percent believe most health insurance will be sold through exchanges within five years. Nearly a third believe they will be government-run exchanges.

· 61 percent believe that, five years from now, the majority of small businesses will not offer health insurance to their employees.

· 28 percent say they would most trust private-sector stalwarts like Walmart to drive down the cost of health care (as opposed to the government or the health insurance industry itself).

· 61 percent believe President Barack Obama will benefit more from the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) than presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

· 4 percent of health insurance executives say they believe the country is on the right track when it comes to health insurance. More than 40 percent say something has to “fundamentally change” and 40 percent say the current course “isn't sustainable over the long term.”

· 49 percent of respondents believe that unhealthy living habits are most responsible for the increase in health care costs, while more than 20 percent believe health care providers are most responsible. 16 percent cite government regulations as being most responsible.