Retiree Medical Challenges Facing Large Employers

Since World War II, many employers have offered their employees access to retiree health benefits. However, rising costs, changes in how employers must account for post-retirement benefit obligations, and recent changes in Medicare have dramatically altered the retiree health care landscape. These pressures have resulted in large employers either eliminating or capping subsidies for retiree health care coverage. In fact, a growing number of large employers do not offer any employer-sponsored retiree health care benefit at all.

In this changing environment, employers are challenged finding affordable retiree health care coverage options that guarantee access to insurance for all retirees, regardless of their individual health status or level of employer subsidy. To address that need, the Association's members spent over three years and several million dollars in a coalition effort to develop their own unique healthcare benefit that is not available anywhere else in the marketplace.

Our innovative retiree medical solution called Retiree Health AccessSM (RHA) addresses the needs of all Association members, regardless of whether or not they currently offer, or subsidize retiree health care coverage for their workers. Our intent is for RHA to push the market to be far more innovative in meeting the needs of employers and their retirees. Our Retiree Health Access Initiative Coalition each year continues to improve the RHA program, and it is the force of the Coalition that is driving the market and keeping our program on the leading edge of retiree medical innovation. Since its inception, RHA has garnered highly favorable media coverage.

Retiree Health Access^®(RHA) Features

RHA offers Association member employers access to a comprehensive retiree health care solution that includes the following key features:

• Access to guaranteed issue, comprehensive coverage for all eligible retirees;
• Fully insured solution, with risk borne by participating RHA carriers;
• Coverage for pre- and post-65 retirees and their dependents;
• No employer contributions are required; and
• Optional comprehensive administrative support with costs included in RHA premiums.

To learn more about RHA, please call the Health Care Policy Roundtable at (202) 408-9740.

RHA Program Objectives

RHA Key Attributes

RHA Design Features and Employer Options

RHA Premiums and Underwriting

RHA Communication

RHA Contracts and Compliance

RHA Frequently Asked Questions

RHA Optional Employer Services Through PricewaterhouseCoopers