In an article today on BusinessInsurance.com states that IBM plans to cover 100% of primary care visits in 2010, going against current trends of pushing a great portion of the health care cost burden onto employees shoulders.
With 80% of their 115,000 employees currently on one of the company’s self-insured health care plans, the cost of covering 100% of primary care visits could be steep. However, IBM believes (via their director of health benefits Marianne Defazio) “very strongly that employees should have a primary care physician who’s sort of the quarterback to help coordinate all of their care.”
It will be interesting to see what the initial results of this benefit design change look like next year as they begin to track and compare utilization and prevention metrics. I would imagine in some way or another this new coverage is going to impact employee behavior. Bottom line – it’s always good to see large employers taking risks and trying new things. A small part of me still believes companies like IBM and others are really going to pave the way for change in health care, driving and creating sustainable ways to improve the current health care crisis and our approach to wellness.
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Should help employees get better access to preventive care and regular checkups and keep costs low in the long-term. Good for IBM.