There could be a stronger connection between corporate finance and human resources executives as U.S. companies start to focus on the implications health care reform could have on their reward programs and talent management strategies, according to a new survey by global professional services company Towers Watson and Forbes Insights.

The survey, which includes responses from more than 300 HR and finance executives, also reveals that both respondent groups expect more increases to their health care and other reward budgets over the next years; however, neither believes there will be a change in the mix nor cost allocation for their overall reward programs. Eighty-one percent of HR respondents and 55 percent of finance respondents say establishing a reward program strategy is mostly driven by HR, but when budgeting for a rewards program, 53 percent of finance respondents say they are more involved, as opposed to 47 percent of HR respondents who say they lead the effort.

Another 38 percent of finance respondents say strategy development will become a more shared role. That compares with just 24% of HR respondents while 24 percent of HR respondents say they will continue to lead the process with little participation from finance executives. Regarding budgeting, 53 percent of finance respondents believe they will have primary responsibility, but 40 percent of HR respondents expect budgeting to remain a shared role.