Employers responding to a post-midterm elections survey say they fear health reform will drive up benefits costs, and more than 20 percent believe it's likely they'll consider dropping employee benefits altogether.

According to a survey conducted by MBGH and co-sponsored by the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH), Business Insurance and Workforce Management, 53 percent of all employers and 67 percent of large employers say they do not plan to drop health benefits. However, based on the potential penalties and recent modeling of potential impact, 22 percent of all employers said that it is likely that they would consider eliminating benefits.

Roughly three-quarters (74 percent) of employer respondents said they believe it's likely health reform will boost health costs even more than if the legislation was not passed.