How can you encourage employees to continue to receive proper health care?
Employers need to consistently look for ways to educate their employees. There is a lot of information available to help consumers understand the different prescription levels, especially regarding generics, which are the same as brand name drugs, but cost less. A lot of times they will see brand name drugs advertised and it’s difficult to get them to switch to the generic until they learn that the drugs are equivalent.
How can you stretch your health care dollars and continue to serve employees?
About 5 percent of plan members equal about 60 percent of health care costs in an average group, and about 75 percent of health care dollars are spent on members with chronic conditions. It’s best to work with carriers that have chronic condition management programs to ensure members are educated. Again, education is important because it minimizes their chances of developing chronic conditions, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and high cholesterol.
If employees do develop a chronic condition, management programs can help identify that condition as early as possible and help manage the disease. There are usually short-term costs associated with this, but long-term gains such as reduced absenteeism and related costs. This may take several years to flesh out, but if you’re trying to stretch your dollars for the future, it’s a feasible approach.
There are also things to do in the short term, such as looking at generic or mail order drugs and ensuring members have all the necessary services, such as a 24-hour nurse line or member assistance. Members should also work with their physicians to help manage medical services, minimize duplication of services and ensure they’re getting care at the appropriate place of service.
Has the business sector’s appetite for better employee engagement improved?
A recent study by the Deloitte Centers for Health Solutions said that seven in 10 employees would participate in wellness programs if some kind of financial incentives were given, such as reduced premiums or monetary rewards. Many companies are moving toward implementing wellness programs that encourage people to take control of their own health care.
The study also pointed out that three in 10 people switched medication in the past year, and 38 percent of them switched to save money. Education on generic drugs and other cost saving measures is occurring, and people are becoming more and more aware. Sixty-five percent of people surveyed were also interested in receiving home monitoring devices to allow them to check their conditions and provide information to physicians and health plans.
Employers are now more likely to look at value-based benefits, which encourage people to choose healthy behaviors, seek high value health services, and select high-performance plans and providers.
Greg Fischer is the senior vice president of sales and marketing at AvMed Health Plans. Reach him at [email protected] or (305) 671-4714.