HighRoads, the industry leader in employer health care regulation compliance, and the Corporate Executive Board (NYSE: EXBD) (CEB), a leading research and advisory services company, today announced the results of their first joint study on health care benefits plan design data. The combined study from The Lab®, HighRoads' real-time employer benefits database, shows that employees can save an average of $187 a year in premium savings alone by using a high-deductible consumer-driven health plan (CDHP). Families can save an average of $204 a year by using a CDHP. While CDHP's provide savings in premiums, and in over-all maximum out-of-pocket exposure, the savings may be too small and the deductible too high relative to traditional Preferred Provider Organization plans (PPOs) and Health Maintenance Organization plans (HMOs) to encourage a larger percentage of employees switching to CDHPs. As such, PPOs still remain the most popular health care plan offering.

The Lab, which includes Fortune 500 benefits data from HighRoads, CEB's Corporate Leadership Council, and Thomson Reuters Healthcare, is comprised of data from over 10,500 real medical plan designs and rates, representing over 30 million lives.

"The data available through this partnership provides employers with a wealth of information on health care plan designs," said Ania Krasniewska, senior director, Corporate Executive Board. "Leveraging this robust benchmarking tool, organizations now have the ability to compare their health plans against the national landscape of employers to ensure a best practice approach as they prepare for the Fall open enrollment period."

Based on a recent data snapshot which shows results for 2011, The Lab reveals the following trends:

1. PPO plans are still the most widely offered employer plans, despite heavy communications around consumerism strategies with high deductible CDHPs. PPOs represent 39% of employer plans. Health Maintenance Organization plans (HMOs) represent 27%. High deductible plans represent 17%.

2. Monthly employee premiums for traditional (non high deductible plans) are consistent across the board, with an average monthly, employee only, premium of $132.11. PPOs are $149.88 per month. HMOs are $132.73 per month. Exclusive Provider Organization plans (EPOs) are $111.36 per month.

3. Monthly employee premiums for CDHPs are much lower, with an average monthly, employee only, premium of $62.14.

4. CDHP plans, for most individual employees and families, offer a lower annual total out-of-pocket cost compared to PPOs. When adding the average out-of-pocket costs for annual premiums, in network deductibles, and health savings account (HSA) contributions (specifically for CDHP plans), the average total annual individual out-of-pocket cost is $2,128 for CDHP plans compared to PPOs which have an annual out-of-pocket cost of $2,315. For families, the average total annual out-of-pocket cost is $5,656 for CDHPs and $5,860 for PPOs.

"As employee benefits professionals devise their benefit plan designs for 2012, fresh data on average plan designs will provide them with the industry-standard metrics and trends they need to make informed decisions," said Eric Parmenter, Vice President of Consulting, HighRoads. "Data from The Lab shows that employee education around the cost savings possible with CDHP may help many employees reduce their out-of-pocket health care expenses while offering them increased flexibility and control over their health care decisions."

The recent study also showed average co-pays and coinsurance contributions for in-network primary care physicians and specialists, non-traditional services including chiropractor and physical therapists, and urgent care facilities. Average in-network co-pays are $19 per visit for primary care providers, $31 per visit for specialists, and $103 per visit for emergency room.

To request a complete copy of the report, please contact Petra Marino at pmarino@highroads.com.

About The Lab

The Lab is the single largest benchmarking repository of health care benefit plan data in the U.S. It provides a number of health care benchmarks including statistics on alternative care, preventative care testing and screening, surgery, maternity, mental health, family planning, prescription drugs, vision and hearing care. Employers use The Lab data to compare their plans with other organizations by industry, geography, company size, plan and employee type.

About HighRoads

The world's leading employers choose HighRoads to gain complete control over their health care costs and compliance. With HighRoads' service, employers have online access to benefits plan information and pricing, competitive benefits benchmarks, and complete benefits supply chain management. The privately-held company is headquartered in Woburn, MA. For more information, visit www.HighRoads.com.

About the Corporate Executive Board

The Corporate Executive Board drives faster, more effective decision making among the world's leading executives and business professionals. As the premier, network-based knowledge resource, The Corporate Executive Board provides customers with the authoritative and timely guidance needed to excel in their roles, take decisive action and improve company performance. Powered by an executive network that spans over 50 countries and represents approximately 85 percent of the world's Fortune 500 companies, The Corporate Executive Board offers unique research insights along with an integrated suite of exclusive tools and resources that enable the world's most successful organizations to deliver superior business outcomes. For more information, visit www.exbd.com.

HighRoads Company Contact:
Petra Marino, 781-503-4031
pmarino@highroads.com
or
HighRoads Media Contact:
Erin Jones, 704-664-2170
erinj@Spiralgroup.com
or
Corporate Executive Board Media Contact:
Joni Renick, 571-303-4074
jrenick@executiveboard.com