A joint study by specialist publication The NonProfit Times and Bluewater Nonprofit Solutions outlined trends in the giving sector as organizations respond to employee preferences as a strategy for attracting and retaining talent.
According to the report, the preferred provider organization (PPO) plan was the most popular among non-profits that provide healthcare benefits to their employees. Almost 65% of the 500 organizations that participated in the study offered it, the Times said. This is a 5% increase over the rate last year. The smallest organizations, which employ one to 10 workers, were the biggest adopters of the program, with 73% in this category using the model to provide healthcare to employees.
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The high deductible high plan (HDHP) was also popular, with almost 31% of those surveyed using it.
The study also revealed that 87% of non-profits offered some type of health plan for employees.
Healthcare costs are also climbing. Anecdotal evidence from United Way of Northwest Louisiana (UWNL) revealed that healthcare costs for the organization had increased by 20% in the past year. UWNL chief operating officer Lynn Stevens told the Times that the heightening cost is the result of an increasingly narrow choice of health insurance providers in its home state, as well as the Affordable Care Act.
Meanwhile, staff salaries increased by an average of 3% in the past two years. The average wage hike was likewise stable for all budget levels and fields.
Operating budgets increased at a rate ranging from 2.31% among organizations that have a budget of $10 million to $25 million; to as much as 3.21% among the smaller organizations that have funding of as low as $500,000 to $1 million.
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