In a recent survey conducted by Hewitt Associates, about 20% of employers said they are planning to stop offering health benefits over the next three to five years.
Sad… as if we need another player in the health care game to quit! See Workforce Management for more details on the study.
Equally as interesting as those planning on leaving the game are the priorities of the employers who plan to continue to offer benefits. “Promoting employee accountability” was ranked as the number one component of employers 2009 health care strategies. “Offering competitive benefits” and “managing health risk” came in at second and third.
What I have to say is directed at those who plan on dropping benefits and those who plan on keeping benefits and promoting employee accountability:
LET change:healthcare HELP!!! Our site and online tools help employees save money (which saves the employer money) and make smarter healthcare decisions.
The problem is apparent… we are asking employees to be responsible for their health and healthcare when they still do not know what health care really costs, they do not have enough skin in the game ($20 co-pays are not going to increase responsibility) to care, and those who are on CDHPs are lacking the tools to understand how to save money and make better decisions.
The message to employees is simple … we want you to get engaged. There are tools out there (if we are working with your employer) that will show you simple and tangible ways to save money on your healthcare… tools that will show you what your peers paid (the network price) for services and prescriptions you need, allowing you to proactively research costs and quality, allowing you to become an active participant in your healthcare.
The action for employers… call change:healthcare. We want to help you preserve your benefits and engage (keep) your employees. We want to help you save 30% on your healthcare.
Healthcare does not have to be daunting and saving money does not have to be hard. Let us show you how we make both of these things simple!
