Aon Hewitt Launches Corporate Health Care Exchange

September 27, 2012 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Aon Hewitt has launched a fully insured multi-carrier corporate health care exchange, with 100,000 employees expected to enroll this fall.

Through the exchange, employees and their families will have access to a wider variety of health, dental and vision benefits options than in a traditional employer-sponsored plan, the company says. The full-service model includes consumer-based decision support tools that make selecting health care benefits more like a retail shopping experience.

“The Aon Hewitt Corporate Exchange is a viable alternative for companies searching for solutions that can reduce cost, transfer risk to insurers, empower employees to make smarter health care choices and create a more sustainable health care benefit program,” said Ken Sperling, Aon Hewitt’s national health exchange strategy leader.

Participants in Aon Hewitt’s exchange will have access to a range of benefits experts and advisers, including its Advocacy Support team, to answer questions and provide guidance during enrollment and throughout the year.

Benefits will be offered by nine national and regional carriers, including UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Health Care Service Corporation, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans for 14 million members, including five million national account members.

Aon Hewitt’s Corporate Health Exchange survey of more than 562 employers found more than 40% of employers expect to participate in a health care exchange in the next three to five years (see “Employers Exploring Corporate Health Exchange Model”).