Private Sector Snapshot: Health Enrollment in Michigan State

August 19, 2022

As large, private sector employers continue to offer health benefit packages to their employees, they are required to file an annual Form 5500. These Form 5500 submissions are unique, primary sources of information about health and welfare benefits from a non-insurer perspective. The following is a high-level snapshot of the top insurers, by enrollment in the state of Michigan, as reported in these filings, and aggregated by Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) utilizing data from MFA’s 5500 Employer Health ^Plus product.

• In 2020, Michigan employers reported health enrollment of 1,235,572 insured persons via Form 5500, a -5.8% decrease from 2019, and the largest decline in the observed five-year period.
   
• CVS, inclusive of Aetna for 2016 to 2020, was one of the few carriers with gains in Michigan for 2020. It increased employer-reported enrollment by 184.3% in 2018, and continued growth in the following years; inversely, Henry Ford Health Systems and Renaissance Health Service Corporation both experienced significant decreases in private sector, employer-reported membership in the same year, -59.5% and -74.1%, respectively. CVS was the only insurer of the top five to experience increasing insured counts across the entire period.
   
• BCBS of Michigan and Spectrum Health shared similar growth patterns of employer-reported insureds, expanding consistently from 2016 through 2019, while reporting decreased membership in 2020.

About 5500 Employer Health ^Plus

The data used in this analysis brief was obtained from Mark Farrah Associates' 5500 Employer Health ^Plus. This new tool has been designed to simplify the analysis of employer health & welfare benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and other benefits. MFA’s 5500 Employer Health ^Plus uniquely focuses on health & ancillary benefits purchased by private sector employers and the relationships employers have with contracted insurers, administrators, and brokers. The user interface allows for both detailed and summary level data retrieval. Data sources includes Form 5500 filings and related schedules for plans that have the indication of providing health & welfare benefits.

About Mark Farrah Associates (MFA)

Mark Farrah Associates (MFA) is a leading data aggregator and publisher providing health plan market data and analysis tools for the healthcare industry.  Our product portfolio includes Health Coverage Portal™, County Health Coverage™, Medicare Business Online™, Medicare Benefits Analyzer™, Health Plans USA™, SHCE and MLR Data and 5500 Employer Health ^plus.  For more information about these products, refer to the informational videos and brochures available under the Our Products section of the website or call 724-338-4100.

Healthcare Business Strategy is a FREE monthly brief that presents analysis of important issues and developments affecting healthcare business today. If you would like to be added to our email distribution list, please submit your email to the "Subscribe to MFA Briefs" section at the bottom of this page.