Encouraging a healthier workforce has long been a priority for employers in New Hampshire and nationwide, with the goal of attracting and retaining top talent and spurring productivity. To help achieve that, employers are looking beyond traditional medical benefits, instead opting for newer approaches designed to promote whole-person health and help lower costs.
Caitlin McCormick, vice president of sales and account management at UnitedHealthcare of New England, joined us to discuss how employers can adopt more consumer-friendly health benefit plans.
Q: What can employers do to offer a whole-person approach to their employees’ health?
A: Human beings are complex. An individual’s wellbeing may be influenced by physical, mental, emotional, and financial factors, all of which function independently but are connected.
Addressing just one aspect of a person’s wellbeing while ignoring others may result in suboptimal health outcomes, lower satisfaction and higher costs. What’s more, a recent report from the American Psychological Association found 7 in 10 surveyed employees agree their employer has a responsibility to ensure they are physically, mentally and emotionally well.
Taking a whole-person approach to employee benefits includes adopting strategies such as offering quality medical benefits; integrating pharmacy coverage; expanding access to specialty benefits such as vision and dental plans; providing in-person and virtual behavioral health resources; investing in financial wellness support; and offering wraparound wellness programs.
A whole-person approach may seem complex and costly, but the opposite is often the case. A comprehensive approach to health benefits may generate savings and a more productive workforce, among other benefits. In fact, a recent study found this approach can yield an estimated 52% return on investment for employers with 100 or more employees.
Q: Improving affordability ranks as a key priority for employers. How is UnitedHealthcare helping to address this issue?
A: Health care spending is expected to reach over $6 trillion by 2030. Unfortunately, 25% of health care spending may be wasteful, including overtreatment, low-value care and fraud – all of which contributes to the total cost of care while doing little to improve health outcomes.
At the same time, 38% of Americans avoid or delay health care due to costs, in some cases skipping crucial preventive screenings and exams. By improving the affordability of medical services, it is posible to help improve access and promote a more equitable system.
For employees, many medical plans enable them to choose where they get their care and from whom based on their plan’s provider network and other factors. And employers often have a choice of several health plan designs, such as a high- or low-deductible plan or newer options with a copay-only structure, like the Surest® health plan from UnitedHealthcare.
Surest represents the next evolution in value-based health benefits. It eliminates deductibles and coinsurance and provides upfront cost and coverage information through an intuitive mobile app, so people enrolled in Surest can use their benefits right away, including low or no-cost virtual options. The upshot of the Surest model is improved access, improved satisfaction and lower costs, which is key as many employers and employees grapple with issues like inflation.
Q: Chronic disease is a leading cause of illness, disability and death. What is UnitedHealthcare doing to assist workforces impacted by a chronic or complex conditions?
A: Chronic physical and mental illnesses affect nearly half of all Americans, accounting for 90% of the nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual health care expenses.
An example is type 2 diabetes. Over 38 million people, or about 1 in 10 people, nationwide currently live with this form of diabetes, plus nearly 98 million more with prediabetes. In New Hampshire, approximately 98,300 people have diagnosed diabetes.
Diabetes can diminish quality of life and contribute to various health issues, while also proving expensive for both individuals and employers. According to a recent study by the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes have medical expenses approximately 2.6 times higher than those who do not. Across our state, total costs related to diabetes amounts to $1.2 billion annually, including direct medical expenses and indirect costs such as lost productivity.
Employers can opt for programs that are designed to help improve type 2 diabetes care, including by using wearable technology and virtual care teams.
For instance, Level2® from UnitedHealthcare is a value-based care solution grounded in metabolic and behavioral science. The program provides eligible members with continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and clinical support to help them work to improve their glucose and, in some cases, achieve type 2 diabetes remission.
Recent research shows Level2 is helping improve blood sugar levels for engaged members, while also helping employers secure better value by bending the cost curve for treating this condition. As participants learn to better manage their type 2 diabetes and make healthier lifestyle choices, Level2 is designed to help improve overall health, avoid costly medical complications and reduce overall cost of care for both employers and their employees.
Q: Along those same lines, how else is UnitedHealthcare using technology to make health care more consumer friendly?
A: These days, you can do about everything from your smartphone — order dinner from a multitude of restaurants, shop for groceries and schedule transportation. The experience should be no different when it comes to your health care.
Through recent upgrades and additional features within the UnitedHealthcare app, members can find care and cost information for more than 19,000 health care services; talk to a doctor 24/7 from the comfort of home; and review quality ratings for individual care providers.
With UnitedHealthcare, consumers can have access to a large provider network that includes more than 1.7 million physicians and care professionals, including over 390,000 behavioral health care providers, and 7,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide.
While that type of choice is desirable, it is also important to use technology to help our members more effectively navigate the health care system. Our advocacy resources can help consumers select network care providers — while avoiding out-of-network charges — and tap into relevant clinical programs, such as to help treat back pain or to assist with recovery after surgery.
