{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.03523693803159174, 'fraction_numerical': 0.03402187120291616, 'mean_word_length': 5.032967032967033, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Perspectives beyond Health Promotion

State Health Plans Report Slowdown in Premium Hikes While a growing number of state legislatures are making headlines with their programs for health care reform for all residents, the states themselves are quietly becoming cost-conscious buyers of health care for their own employees. Overall, state health plans cover more than 4.5 million employees, dependents, and retirees. Individual coverage of indemnity plans for state employees was $153.75 per employee in 1991, a 12.9% increase over 1990, in contrast to hikes of 15.1%, 20.2 %, and 14.1% in 1990, 1989, and 1988, respectively, according to a survey by the benefits consulting firm Martin E. Segal Company, Inc. Similarly, family coverage for indemnity plans was kept to a 13.3% increase last year versus 16%, 20.8%, and 12.8% over the same time period. Because these figures do not include health maintenance organizations, it is believed that they may even overstate the rise in premiums, especially in states where HMO costs increased less than for indemnity plans. The reasons for state governments’ more modest hikes last year, according to the report, is twofold: 1) they are taking advantage of being large employers; and 2) they are actively implementing cost management techniques. For example, nearly all states require hospital inpatient precertification, and more than 40 states have managed care features including case management, mental health and substance abuse case management, and home health care. In addition, more than 30 states have generic drug incentives and hospital discharge planning and do audits of large bills. Nursing