Employee Benefits | FJG/FYI Articles
Promoting Preventive Health Services
According to the National Business Group on Health, research has shown that approximately 75% of all healthcare costs are the direct result of preventable chronic health conditions. In addition to putting a strain on healthcare budgets, chronic disease is also a leading cause of disability and lost productivity.*
Employers are in a unique position to promote
the use of clinical preventive services, which
can help employees avoid disease or arrest
disease development in the earliest stages.
Partnership for Prevention identified three
barriers that employers should evaluate to
promote the use of preventive services: cost
sharing, knowledge, and convenience.**
Cost sharing: Employers should evaluate
medical plans with attention paid to the
employee-paid portion of preventive
screenings and medications. This may be
especially true for employers who offer a
High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP).
Allowing preventive services to be covered at either a minimal copay, or even at 100% before the deductible is met, can encourage individuals in these plans to seek preventive care.
Knowledge: Employers can also promote the use of preventive services by educating employees about the services that are covered by their health plan, and providing resources that include information on recommended screenings. Several guides are available that employers can share with their employees, including the National Business Group on Health Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services, which can be found at http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/prevention/purchasers/
Convenience: Employers can evaluate the accessibility of preventive services and search for ways to make that access more convenient for employees. Many corporate wellness companies provide preventive screenings and ongoing health coaching as part of their services. Local healthcare providers and clinics may also be willing to provide services such as health screenings or flu vaccines on-site on a specified day.
Partnership for Prevention has issued an employer guide to providing highvalue, cost effective preventive services to employees. This guide can be found at www.prevent.org. By encouraging employees to seek the recommended preventive services, employers can realize lower healthcare and disability costs, lower absenteeism, and greater productivity.
* National Business Group on Health, A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: Moving Science into Coverage, http://www.businessgrouphealth.org/prevention/purchasers/
** Partnership for Prevention, Priorities for America’s Health: Capitalizing on Life-Saving, Cost-Effective Preventive Services, www.prevent.org/images/stories/clinicalprevention/employersguide.pdf