Working together for quality, affordable health care
Healthcare issues are being discussed and debated widely across our country. As an employer, it is often difficult to find objective information that gives you the facts, trends, and national direction you need, in order to make informed healthcare decisions for your organization. Our Cost Connection articles are designed to help you find relevant information about current healthcare topics and how they may relate to your business.
Each article or white paper include research and findings from across the country regarding national healthcare policies as well as innovations from other companies. Our articles are quick reads that summarize some of the practical tips and guidelines employers can utilize as they forward healthcare in their organization.
Several times annually we will post new educational pieces on this site which you are free to reference, download and distribute to your colleagues. Occasionally these posts will include webinars for especially popular topics, which you can view at your leisure. If you would like to receive e-mail announcements about new material posted to this site or if you have suggestions for a topic, please contact your account manager or sales contact.
March 2012
Health Costs, Medicare Quality Pilots & Reform Updates
Hardly a month goes by without a report citing the high cost of health care. Now a key player is calling costs an ethical issue. Find out more in this issue of Cost Connection.
With health care more complex than ever, it's important to keep up with trends, costs and reform. This quarterly newsletter delivers experts' insights on key issues in these areas to help you and your employees.
This issue of our "Healthcare Trend" articles focuses on understanding and managing the "Utilization of Emergency Rooms", which can be a significant cost driver for an employer. The article provides tips and strategies for ensuring the appropriate use of emergency care facilities, and options that are available for less urgent cases. This e-newsletter also provides you with information about the Early Retirement Reinsurance Program (ERRP), and some new features available with our "Employer Reports" to help employers manage benefits.
Our first Health Trend article of 2011 focuses on the value of sustainability as a business practice and its relationship to health. This brief will help you understand current thinking about sustainability and some of the reasons more companies are moving towards this philosophy and approach.
There has been significant attention paid to the role of wellness in managing health care costs. Often, however, it is difficult to determine the value in terms of a specific ROI. This "Healthtrends" article focuses on some of the facts regarding the value of wellness efforts. It also provides some key questions an employer can ask—around reporting wellness outcomes to understand whether wellness programs save the employer money in the long term. We encourage you to share this information with your colleagues.
In March, Congress passed and President Obama signed sweeping health care reform into law. What's that mean for employers? This issue of our "Healthtrends" series is a summary of employer-specific impacts related to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010. Note that these changes apply to both insured and self-funded health plans. This information will be revised and updated as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Internal Revenue System (IRS), continues to develop and issue regulations.
Our first "Health Trends" article for 2010, focuses on the topic "Managing Rx Costs." Many of you, who responded to our survey, told us that this would be a topic of interest. This educational brief will help you better understand the key facts about the increase in prescription medication usage, as well as offer some suggestions for employers, to help reduce the costs associated with increased usage.
The Attributes of Consumer Engagement in Healthcare
Our last Health Trend e-newsletter for the year focuses on the "Engaged Healthcare Consumer". Many of you who responded to our survey, told us that this would be a topic of interest to you. This brief will help you better understand the key attributes of an engaged healthcare consumer and what consumer directed health plans are all about. In addition, we will be providing you with some general information regarding the business implications of moving towards this philosophy and approach in healthcare.
As reports have shown, the population of the United States is becoming more diverse each day. This paper and the accompanying webinar examines the influence these demographic shifts may have on the marketplace in general, and on healthcare issues, specifically. The webinar also provides valuable information regarding the cultural cues and values of the Latino community, the fastest growing demographic in our region. We hope this information will give you ideas and strategies for understanding your workforce better.
The Spring issue of our " Health Trends" education series, focuses on: "Disease Management - Better Outcomes and Reduced Care Costs ". This article discusses emerging trends around disease management programs, why they are becoming more important to employers, and provides ideas and direction around what type of programs are most effective.
Part of the Healthcare Trend Series, “Transparency in Healthcare” discusses the trends and tools surrounding the transparency in healthcare and how organizations can help their employees become more engaged in their care, leading to increased consumerism. We hope this piece will help you better understand the national and regional trends and directions around transparency.
