Employers are making an effort to involve employees more in their health care. This is evidenced by the increase in consumer-directed health plans being offered by employers today. Employers feel that the more informed and engaged an employee is, the lower their health care costs will be. Employee engagement is a way for employers to battle rising health care costs and outlook on managed care plans.
What managed care trends do you think affect employers today and which do you think has the greatest impact on employers? Explain your perspective with examples. Do these trends impact small and large employers the same or not?
PEER
Anne Misher et al., details some ways employers are affected by managed care in their article, “Employer-sponsored wellness programs for hypertension and dyslipidemia in a 2-hospital health system,” (2019). Firstly, employers should be aware of the increasing focus on behavioral health. The World Health Organization claims the leading cause of poor health and disability worldwide, is depression (2019, pg 289). This becomes an issue because depressed populations are less likely to want to participate in healthy activities, such as socializing, or working out. Employers should also familiarize themselves with the new approaches to cost-sharing. Since in-network providers mean so much more nowadays, covering out-of-network expenses could become more difficult for employers. Finally, employers should be open to discussing healthcare options with their employees, as the average consumer is knowledgeable about healthcare. Personally, I am still on my mom’s insurance, as I am 21. So, I still have 5 years that I can mooch of that haha. Anyways, her and I are open about policies and can discuss quite a bit about her policy. If we have a question on anything, our insurer has a helpful app we can use to answer our questions. Employers should be prepared to discuss decisions with their employees, regarding health benefits.
Larger healthcare organizations should be more concerned with mental health and knowledgeable employees, while smaller clinics should worry more about out-of-network costs. With more employees, larger organizations should expect a larger volume of employees to have questions about health insurance. Furthermore, they should be more equipped to handle emotional, and mental health crises.
Misher, A., Brown, J., Maguire, C., & Schnibben, A. P. (2019). Employer-Sponsored Wellness Programs for Hypertension and Dyslipidemia in a 2-Hospital Health
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Introduction: This article discusses the increasing trend of employers involving employees more in their healthcare, as evidenced by the rise in consumer-directed health plans. The article prompts the question of what managed care trends affect employers today and which has the greatest impact on employers, and whether these trends impact small and large employers differently.
Answer: Managed care trends such as behavioral health, cost-sharing, and employee engagement have a significant impact on employers today. The increasing focus on behavioral health, particularly depression, is a concern for employers as it may affect employee participation in healthy activities, resulting in poor health and disability. Employers should be familiar with the new approaches to cost-sharing and the challenges of covering out-of-network expenses. Additionally, employee engagement is gaining importance as it allows employers to reduce their health care costs by making their employees more informed and engaged in their healthcare.
The impact of these trends may differ for small and large employers. Larger healthcare organizations should be more concerned with mental health and the availability of knowledgeable employees, while smaller clinics should worry more about out-of-network costs as they may have fewer resources to cover such expenses. With more employees, larger organizations should expect a larger volume of employees to have questions about health insurance and should be more equipped to handle emotional and mental health issues. Overall, managed care trends are significantly affecting employers, and it is essential for them to understand and address these trends to improve their employees’ healthcare outcomes.
