Employers put health coverage in workers’ hands

As health insurance costs continue to rise, some employers are adopting a controversial new approach that ends group coverage and gives employees $50 to $200 or so a month to help them buy their own. The shift is touted as a lower-cost way for employers to offer workers health coverage, while making smaller and more predictable financial contributions toward that coverage. If broadly adopted, the new model would represent a fundamental shift in health coverage.