Health Handouts : Corporation Wellness: Bottom Line Strategies For Effective Healthcare Reform

It is clear to almost all American citizens (especially those of us in business) that health care expenditures are skyrocketing out of control. No one doubts that either the market will solve the issue OR the government will impose one on us. Managed care has failed from either a cost containment or quality of care perspective. Employers have reached the point where the expense of providing healthcare insurance is almost as burdensome as government regulation. It’s time for some new thinking on health care and its impact on business and vice versa. “Corporate wellness” as an operational perspective rather than merely window dressing is one way to deal effectively with rising health care expenditures.

The Insurance Issue

The first step in solving the problem is to realize that an employee’s health is their own responsibility. Expecting businesses to offer unlimited healthcare insurance coverage is simply unrealistic and unreasonable. It’s time for businesses (on a broad scale) to reconsider their role in providing healthcare insurance coverage. Instead of providing complete coverage for all workers through group plans, businesses ought to start to modify the burden of health coverage to those covered.

Here’s the approach. Offer catastrophic health care insurance as a group benefit to all workers with a sizable enough deductible (say $5000 per employee) to make the cost affordable for the organization. Then, allow workers to buy their own health care insurance policies (based on their own needs) and pay for them through payroll deduction with pre-tax earnings. There are numerous insurance businesses that sell individual plans on this basis. Everybody wins. Employees can tailor their coverage to their own needs and circumstances using their own doctors. Corporations win by stopping the endless cycle of rising expenditures and ever-changing plans. And when individuals become responsible for the cost of their own insurance, they become more attentive to their own health. Besides, if an employee is interested in working for you ONLY because your organization offers great insurance benefits aren’t they telling you they’re going to cost you more money in the future?

Design a “Wellness Culture”

Our current “sickness culture” perpetuates the healthcare crisis and hastens the demise of market-based solutions. By sickness culture, I mean our focus on health problems rather than on having a healthy worksite and performance culture.

So, what would a “wellness culture” look like? First, rather than paid sick days, workers might be rewarded at year’s end with an attendance bonus. Workers would be reimbursed for thriving completion of tobacco cessation and weight-loss programs. Organizations would invest in corporate memberships at local health clubs so every employee can participate. Workers would be available in-house wellness programs on a variety of concerns ranging from ergonomics to stress management. Finally, employers would commit to hiring and retaining healthy workers. Simply put, healthy workers cost less and are more productive than unhealthy ones. Applicants should be screened for health habits and practices that limit their productiveness and improve the likelihood of future expense. While this may seem harsh, it rewards those workers whose personal lifestyle and habits ensure the best Return on Investment by the company committing to hire, train and pay them.

Be open to “alternative and complementary” approaches

Studies published in primary healthcare journals reveal that individuals who use “alternative and complementary” health modalities (including chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga and massage) are generally healthier, better educated, take fewer medications and miss fewer days from work than the average American. Since these individuals look for ways to stay healthy without prescriptions and surgery, they end up being a net benefit in terms of attendance and productiveness. Old prejudices in this area must be discarded in order for businesses to improve productiveness and boost profitability

Conclusion

Medical Care costs are rising at a staggering pace. Managed care is an abysmal failure. Employers are buckling under the pressure of offering health coverage to their staff members. American competitiveness in the market is sagging. These times call for extraordinary solutions. It’s time for American employers to consider some out-of-the-box solutions to the medical care crisis. Corporation wellness is an approach that is timely, achievable and reasonable given the alternatives. All options must be considered while we still have a chance.