Nearly 60% of employees have put off necessary medical care because of cost or insurance issues. More than 40% have delayed care because appointments weren’t available. And 35% have skipped health services for fear of getting or spreading illnesses. In addition, more than 25% of employees aren’t current on preventive care screenings or immunizations. A top reason for skipping vaccines is affordability, even though most healthcare plans cover flu shots and other immunizations at no cost to employees. All of these are concerning as a Wichita benefits agency whose main focus is providing quality care options for employers and their staff. These numbers come from the nonprofit research firm Integrated Benefits Institute. And they point to increasing long-term health risks and financial consequences for employees and employers.
Delayed care can result in missed diagnoses. It also allows minor issues to turn into complicated health conditions. When problems are ignored early on, they often lead to more treatment, higher costs, and worse health outcomes. Delayed care affects the workplace when health challenges increase presenteeism and absenteeism and lower productivity. Untreated medical conditions also increase the risk of medical leave and disability claims. But you can change these outcomes. The following strategies can help you limit delays and improve the health of your plan and employees:
- Reduce barriers to care.
- Address mental health.
- Create a culture of well-being.
Reduce barriers to care
The two most significant obstacles to timely care are cost and access, reports the human resources association SHRM.
Cost
Cost is particularly daunting to many employees because of recent high inflation. To reduce financial challenges, educate employees on free preventive services. Examples typically include screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, depression and different types of cancer. Many vaccines are available at no cost to employees, including flu and shingles vaccines.
When financially feasible for your plan, keep deductibles and copays low. And minimize premium increases. If you have a high-deductible health plan, contribute to a health savings account to help employees pay for necessary medical expenses.
Access
To increase access, consider mobile or on-site clinics employees can attend during work hours. Potential services include flu shots, health risk assessments, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, and biometric screenings.
Third-party patient navigation and concierge services can help employees book appointments, understand medical claims and dispute incorrect billings.
Virtual care can also increase access by keeping copays low and removing the travel time to and from appointments.
Employee surveys can help you identify other barriers, such as low health literacy, caregiving responsibilities, transportation challenges, and lack of diversity among in-network providers. After you identify your top challenges, you can target solutions such as health literacy initiatives, plan education, caregiver benefits, paid and unpaid leave for medical appointments, and transportation benefits.
Address mental health
Another vital step is addressing your employees’ mental health. Mental health challenges often lead to delays in physical health care. Employees with anxiety and depression are most likely to miss preventive care appointments and immunizations reports SHRM.
Mental health issues also make it more difficult for employees to stay on top of medications and treatment plans for chronic conditions.
To reduce these barriers, communicate your mental health benefits to employees year-round. Remove the stigma of seeking treatment. And make it easy to locate mental health professionals and book appointments.
Your employee assistance program likely has resources on managing and treating stress, anxiety, and depression. Additional offerings may include workshops on understanding and identifying mental health symptoms, employee-led support groups for shared resources and experiences, and wellness programs focusing on stress management and other mental health challenges.
Create a culture of well-being
A supportive culture that values employee wellness is another essential factor for timely health care. Creating a workplace culture that encourages staff to seek the care they need is something we emphasize greatly with all our Wichita benefits agency clients.
Ask supervisors to check in with their employees. Training programs can teach managers how to discuss health, check on employees’ well-being, and identify behavioral changes or other indicators of health struggles.
Strategies for building a culture of well-being include promoting health benefits on your website, social media and internal communication channels. Send email updates with reminders about preventive care services. Create infographics with clear steps for finding a primary care provider and accessing mental health care and other important health resources.
Identify employee champions to encourage healthy choices and benefits usage. Ask managers to include employee wellness and health care benefits in team discussions. And provide reasonable accommodations such as time off and flexible work schedules to meet medical needs.
For more information
To discuss these and other strategies to encourage proactive care, talk to one of our Wichita benefits agency advisors.
They can help you identify current and potential benefits to support your employees’ physical and mental well-being. They can provide information on health plan access and education. And they can help you explore on-site clinics, virtual care options, patient navigation services, training programs and other health resources.