"The percentage of U.S. workers covered by health plans that are at least partially self-funded by their employers has been rising gradually for many years, reaching 61% in 2014, compared with 44% back in 1999 ... Switching from a fully insured health plan to a self-insured one reduces an employer's health-care costs because health-insurance pricing builds in a risk premium and the insurer's profit margin.... [T]he savings, absent any other changes, is typically 5% to 8% for large companies, and in many cases even more for others."  MORE >>