Benefits quarterly最新文献

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has magnified the problem of short-sighted human resource (HR) software purchases that reflect a siloed mindset about HR technology investment. This article outlines the problem with the siloed approach and the many advantages offered by an HR technology revolution. The author reviews best practices to consider, whether from the perspective of a consultant or that of an HR professional building a case internally for integration. When investment in HR technology is based on how the technology can help employees make better decisions because of greater access to accurate data, the ripple effects of improved decision making translate into real savings.

Although determining the driving forces behind double-digit price inflation trends for pharmaceutical costs has proven increasingly difficult, one thing is clear: Drug trend rates are unsustainable for plan sponsors and will continue to be a top challenge in the coming years. This article discusses emerging strategies for dealing with prescription drug cost trends, best-in-class contracting, changing and affecting drug mix, the changing reimbursement model and what's next in mitigating evolving pharmaceutical costs.

Today, for mental health, it is the best of times, and it is the worst of times. The barriers to achieving the mental health system we need are not just a chasm of a poorly organized system of care but a mountain range of issues that stop us from bringing mental health and well:being into the 21st century on a par with the rest of health care. This article reviews the progress that has been made, describes the continuing concerns and outlines a path forward toward holistic mental health and well-being in the workplace. We have been starting to move these mountains, but it is a heavy lift and will require unprecedented dialogue, engagement of diverse stakeholders and actions on many fronts to get us to the other side.

Pharmacy and medical benefit integration's most meaningful value lies in obtaining a comprehensive understanding of someone's health journey. An effective way to control health care costs for all stakeholders and improve overall wellness is to understand and manage health conditions in their entirety, not just the prescriptions. This article highlights (1) how pharmacy and medical benefit integration provides a more holistic view of health, (2) how individuals inquiring about their pharmacy benefits can be successfully engaged to participate in health coaching and other programs available through their medical benefits, (3) how integrated data pro-vides real-world insights for evaluating the value that drugs and health management programs deliver and (4) what plan sponsors might attain in cost savings through the use of integrated benefits.

Studies of employee assistance program (EAP) clinical use across multiple industries and multiple EAP delivery models range from highs greater than 5% to lows of less than 1 %. Despite the range in utilization, the rates of employee behaviors that indicate a behavioral health issue are significantly higher, suggesting far too little use of EAPs overall. Studies of the costs to an employer for an employee with a mental health issue are as high as 37% lost annual productivity. EAPs have attempted to raise utilization through a variety of efforts, with mixed results. Most EAP utilization initiatives fail to address the impact of stigma, misunderstandings about mental illness and the reluctance of many employees to seek counseling as an option for better management of stress, work-life balance and overall mental wellness. For both employers and EAPs, addressing the impact of stigma and perceptions of mental illness is costly, requiring greater direct employee engagement and education. However, it is a more effective means of increasing EAP use than current practices and, ultimately, can result in significantly higher net gains in productivity while reducing employers' direct costs.

The pressure on employers to justify providing health benefits or to prove the value of health investment has never been greater. Many employers have resorted to cost shifting to employees to dampen the impact of health care costs on their companies or have avoided health investments, believing they don't deliver a return. Both strategies come with significant risk to employees, their dependents and the company's business performance. This article provides a framework for employers to better understand the full impact of workforce health and well-being on bottom-line costs and the opportunities for connecting workforce health and well-being to topline business performance metrics. Application of the principles presented in this commentary can help human resources/benefits personnel better understand the broader business impacts of their workforce health and well-being strategies as well as equip them to have a more meaningful role in workforce strategic planning.

Investing time and effort to uncover and mitigate today's stressors for employees can help employers avoid tomorrow's more damaging and expensive consequences. A comprehensive assessment of workplace stress can generate a substantial return on this investment, measured in enhanced individual well-being, reduced health care and disability costs and improved company performance. This article discusses the structure of stress diagnostics, the dimensions of those diagnostics, leading and lagging indicators of employee stress and how employers can use diagnostics to take actions that benefit employers and employees alike.