Investing In Health | Strategies For Kansas Employers
The cost of health care remains a top issue of concern for Kansas residents — second only to inflation, according to a new survey commissioned by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS).
Even more troubling is that because of the cost of care, half of Kansans have delayed seeing a doctor or going to a hospital.
As a Kansan, this is unacceptable. As a leader of a health plan, I am deeply invested in working to control health care costs while still providing a great value for our members. It’s about striking the right balance between efficiency and value.
SURVEYING HEALTH CARE IN KANSAS: A CLOSER LOOK
The survey revealed an immediate need for everyone in the health care community — from health plans to policymakers to hospitals — to keep costs and affordability in mind.
4 KEY TAKEAWAYS IN THE SURVEY
Health care costs for copays and bills are viewed as a problem for nearly four out of five Kansans, trailing only the cost of groceries and gas.
When it comes to the topic of health care, cost is overwhelmingly the most important issue, topping quality of care, access to care and equity of care by an almost 2-to-1 margin.
Forty-five percent say hospital bills have increased a lot in the last few years. Residents report seeing hospital bills rise faster than insurance premiums and copays.
Fifty-one percent of Kansans occasionally or regularly put off hospital care because of the cost.
WHAT EMPLOYERS CAN DO
This information is likely alarming for employers. You want your employees to be healthy and at the top of their game, and these findings show their long-term health could be in jeopardy. Below are some of the steps you can take to foster employee health and wellness:
Encourage preventive screenings and routine doctor’s visits.
Encourage telehealth options, which are available 24/7 and may help avoid ER visits.
Offer flu vaccine clinics in your office.
Support work-life balance by offering flexible schedules, telecommuting options and wellness programs.
Encourage physical activity. Regular breaks and even group exercise sessions are a great way to accomplish this.
Consider offering fitness incentives. BCBSKS offers the STRIVE program to provide wellness and fitness-related challenges.
Speak with your health plan provider to see what services they offer to assist your employees. BCBSKS, for example, has a Wellness Team that can work with employers to help in the creation of a worksite wellness program.
Check your health plan to see what types of case management options are available. BCBSKS offers a disease management team to help members manage symptoms and diseases such as asthma, diabetes, COPD, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Offer educational opportunities for your employees to learn how their health plan benefits can protect their health and finances. BCBSKS offers services like SmartShopper, as well as supplemental cancer and hospital plans, all of which can help cover out-of-pocket expenses.
HOW TO REDUCE HEALTH CARE SPENDING
Those of us who work in health care have a responsibility to do what we can to reduce spending. Here’s what BCBSKS is doing to lower health care costs:
Improving value. We’re partnering with hospitals and providers to agree on contracts that incentivize high-quality care and services, which have been shown to reduce costs and improve value.
Collaboration. We’re working closely with hospitals and physicians on contracts that protect families and businesses from unsustainable price increases, while enhancing the overall value of services.
Ensuring affordability. We’re protecting families and businesses from unsustainable price increases to ensure they receive maximum value for their health care expenditures.
Addressing prescription drug costs. We’re ensuring members receive high quality, clinically appropriate prescription drugs through value-based contracts, rebates and partnerships to enhance value and manage costs.
Efficient use of premiums. Of every insurance premium dollar a BCBSKS member pays, 89 cents go directly to member care via claims from health care providers.
MAKING A COMMITMENT
It will take everyone working together to ensure Kansans are getting the services they need and the health care they deserve. BCBSKS is committed to working with others in health care to reduce spending while delivering exceptional value to members
