Job seekers now have more bargaining power than ever, and employers are taking a benefits-focused approach to hiring and retention.

Over the past couple of years, the workforce has undergone multiple changes in employee expectations. A renewed focus on health benefits, well-being, and culture has widened the gap between what employees want and what their employers offer. This gap has resulted in higher turnover and a higher risk of losing quality talent. With more than half of US employees considering leaving their current employers, businesses are working with benefits agents to create customizable benefit designs that will attract and retain talent.

Health benefits are more important than ever

According to the CDC, 60 percent of adults have a chronic disease, which accounts for 90 percent of the nation’s healthcare expenditures. Combined with financial challenges brought on by inflation, many workers are looking to their benefits package to help alleviate the financial toll of healthcare expenses. Health benefits are a growing priority for the workforce, with many reporting that they play a vital role in deciding whether to stay with their company or move on to a new one. In fact, 60 percent of employees said health benefits were an important reason to stay with their current employers. Regarding job opportunities, 48 percent said health benefits were an important reason to join a new company. The same study found that when benefits met employee needs, employers saw a 30 percent boost in retention.

Employers are enhancing their benefits to remain competitive

Fortunately, most employers have noticed this renewed interest in health benefits and are now looking to enhance their benefits offerings for 2023. One popular enhancement employers are considering is virtual care solutions beyond traditional telemedicine, with 40 percent planning to offer a virtual primary care network or service. This benefit will be well received by many job seekers and existing employees— especially those with chronic conditions. Another concern for employers is part-time and contract employees, who are likelier to switch jobs for a slight pay increase. A fifth of large employers have begun to focus primarily on benefits packages for this audience. As these employers review their benefits, they’ll be looking to their agents to provide new solutions that are cost-effective and customizable.

An alternative benefit that fits today’s workforce

New problems require new solutions, so employers need to explore alternatives to traditional health benefits. One potential healthcare solution for these groups may be implementing a Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership. With a direct primary care organization like Healthcare2U, employers can provide virtual primary care and unlimited in-office visits nationwide to full-time, part-time or contract employees. These benefits fall under the monthly membership fee, so no claims are generated or submitted to the employer’s health plan.

Health benefit design is critical to recruitment and retention efforts, so benefits that can seamlessly integrate with existing health plans are vital. DPC memberships are flexible, maximize cost savings, and greatly enhance existing health plans, like High Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs), Minimum Essential Coverage (MECs), Self-Funded, and Level-Funded plans. Part-time and contract workers are also eligible for membership at any time of the year, even if they don’t qualify for the company’s health plan.

On top of all these advantages, Healthcare2U’s DPC membership includes a concierge element. Members who are sick or need care call our Patient Advocacy Line (PAL), and our bilingual Patient Advocates navigate them through their care options and next steps.

Contact us today if you’re looking for a product that addresses the evolving needs of today’s workforce and provides concierge-level care to members nationwide.

Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with diabetes,
you may have prediabetes.

Have you ever heard of prediabetes? Few have, but it is an issue that — if left untreated — can evolve into a diabetes diagnosis. There are two types of diagnoses: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes often results from an autoimmune reaction and usually appears in adolescents and young adults. In contrast, type 2 develops over many years and is typically a result of poor diet and lack of exercise. What many people don’t know is that, if an individual has prediabetes, they are 70 percent more likely to end up developing type 2 diabetes. Let’s cover prediabetes’ risk factors, available tests, and the treatments for this sneaky precursor to diabetes.

What is Prediabetes?

Prediabetes is when your blood sugar levels are higher than usual but not high enough to be categorized as type 2 diabetes. A staggering 1 in 3 Americans has prediabetes. Of those people, more than 80 percent don’t know they have it.

What are the Risk Factors?

While there are usually no symptoms for prediabetes, the following list includes risk factors:

• • Being overweight
  • Being 45 years or older
  • Having a family member with type 2 diabetes
  • Being physically active less than three times a week
  • Ever having gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby who weighed more than nine pounds
  • Having polycystic ovary syndrome

Race and ethnicity are also factors. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and some Asian Americans are at higher risk.

Blood Tests Available

If you have any risk factors listed above, the CDC suggests following up with your primary care physician to test your blood sugar levels. The following are blood tests available to check for prediabetes:

1. Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test — This test indicates your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months.
2. Fasting blood sugar test — A blood sample is taken after fasting for at least eight hours (or overnight).
3. Oral glucose tolerance test — This test is less commonly used than the others, except during pregnancy. You’ll fast overnight and then drink a sugary liquid at the primary care provider’s office or lab testing site. Blood sugar levels are then tested periodically for the next two hours.

How to Treat Prediabetes

The good news regarding prediabetes is that it can be reversed through lifestyle changes if caught early. If you are concerned or have tested within the prediabetic range, have a conversation with your primary care physician. In the meantime, here are a few common steps to begin treatment for prediabetes:

• Eating healthier
• Deal with stress
• Lose excess weight
• Exercise at least 150 minutes (about two and a half hours) a week
• Stop smoking
• If you’re at considerable risk, your healthcare provider may recommend medication

Prediabetes is a problem far more prevalent than you may think, and it has alarming statistics to back it up. One issue contributing to these statistics is people do not realize that prediabetes has no symptoms, and you can live with it for years before it develops into a more serious condition. Due to a lack of education, among other reasons, many people delay seeking medical care unless a condition is seen as urgent.

Delaying medical care can have serious repercussions, especially regarding chronic diseases. At Healthcare2U, we aim to eliminate barriers to primary care and the ongoing treatment of manageable disease states. Our Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership offers unlimited treatment and management of 13 chronic diseases, including diabetes. Membership is an affordable way to — not only manage chronic diseases — but to access care before a serious illness develops. Click here to learn more about how Healthcare2U’s membership benefits our members.

When employees are too sick to come to work, businesses lose money. Chronic illnesses among employees cost U.S. employers more than half a trillion dollars in lost productivity each year. Even before the pandemic, sick days were up 12 percent in 2019—a collective 978 million sick days used cost companies $151 billion in lost revenue.

With 60 percent of American adults suffering from one or more chronic conditions, these staggering figures highlight the need to focus on disease prevention and high-quality care delivery for patients diagnosed with chronic conditions. Direct primary care is a vehicle for employees to prevent and maintain chronic conditions while minimizing their out-of-pocket costs and eliminating claims that would otherwise impact their employer’s profits.

Chronic Care Management ROI
In 2018, Humana reported that each unhealthy day linked to a chronic condition cost health plans $15.64 in additional medical care per person per month—an expense that can add up quickly over time.

It’s not surprising that patients with chronic conditions report more physically and mentally unhealthy days than the population average. However, people who proactively take steps to prevent escalating disease states usually experience fewer unhealthy days than those who allow their conditions to deteriorate due to lack of proper care.

A study of carrier claims data from Mercer Health Advantage revealed evidence for improved health outcomes and cost-savings return on investment (ROI) from providing chronic care management. This program offered through insurance carriers featured in-depth care management for the sickest employees and reported an aggregate return on investment of $3.30 for each $1 spent while improving patient health.

Expensive Health Risks Can be Managed
Employers who focus on the cost of healthcare expenses without also examining the cost of lost productivity (when employees are out of the office sick or perform at a limited capacity) miss a big part of the picture. The effects on their business outcomes and employee wellbeing are directly related. They should work closely with their benefits advisor to create a plan that can keep workers healthy while minimizing costs.

According to a recent report published in The Lancet Public Health, nearly $730 billion in healthcare spending can be linked to modifiable health risks, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking. The study highlighted five risk factors mostly responsible for these modifiable healthcare costs.

1. Being overweight and obesity
2. High blood pressure
3. High blood sugar
4. Poor diet
5. Smoking.

The study estimates that more than 25 percent of all healthcare spending in the U.S. annually is due to conditions tied to lifestyle choices—preventable conditions to some degree.

Primary Care Manages Chronic Conditions
Fortunately, early-stage chronic disease management falls under primary care physicians’ purview (PCPs), making a no-claims option like direct primary care (DPC) a no-brainer. Unlike health insurance, DPC is a monthly health membership that affords members unlimited access to a PCP for a low monthly fee.

Instead of meeting deductibles or paying outrageous monthly premiums, the patient gets in-office visits and virtual care for a low monthly cost, depending on their plan. With the right DPC membership, employees can get primary care and chronic disease management without generating monthly claims for their employer. Employers love direct primary care because it doesn’t generate claims, and members don’t have to meet a deductible to have affordable access to the doctor. The savings for multiple employees over time can lead to exponential savings for large and small employers.

For more information on how a DPC membership can provide cost-effective chronic disease management, contact Healthcare2U, a nationwide, hybrid direct primary care organization.

It’s no secret that health and wealth are directly correlated. Studies show low-income adults are nearly five times more likely to report being in fair or poor health than adults with family incomes at, or above, 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). In 2020, the FPL for a family of four was $26,200. Low-income American adults also have higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other chronic disorders than wealthier Americans. They are also more than three times as likely to have activity limitations due to chronic illness. Limited access to medical care, being uninsured or underinsured, financial barriers, and systemic biases are but a few of the reasons for the lack of healthcare equality in the U.S. Here we’ll examine how we got here as well as one affordable solution to the problem.

Lack of Access to Care

Most impoverished neighborhoods lack reliable access to high-quality healthcare. Big providers want to make big money, so they go to areas where they feel they have the best opportunity to make that happen.

Because of reduced access to care and reduced affordability, low-income patients are less likely to receive recommended healthcare services, such as cancer screenings, annual physicals, and immunizations. Many take for granted that these essential services could mean the difference between life and death for those in lower-income brackets.

High Deductibles

Even before a global pandemic, many businesses faced financial challenges that made it difficult, or nearly impossible, to offer health benefits. Many opted for high deductible health plans (HDHPs) that are cheaper to provide employees with but fail to cover essential healthcare costs to shield their bottom lines from constantly increasing premiums and health claims.

When offered, HDHPs are a popular option for low-income Americans because of their lower monthly premiums. However, when employees are offered a HDHP, they may not be able to afford the monthly premiums meaning they opt out of coverage. If employees can afford the premiums and enroll in the HDHP, the deductible is often unaffordable leading to healthcare avoidance and the lack of a primary care presence to provide essential medical guidance. In 2017, 40 percent of Americans with employer-sponsored health insurance had plans with deductibles over $1,500 for individuals or more than $3,000 for a family. With 50 percent of Americans reporting they have less than $400 on hand for emergencies, those numbers don’t add up.

The Solution

Uninsured populations often live within impoverished neighborhoods. With quality providers unwilling to service those neighborhoods or provide care at an affordable rate, what can be done to help Americans struggling to survive?

One answer may be simple. Direct Primary Care (DPC) is not new, but current events have made it an even more vital component of the American healthcare system. Doctors love DPC because they don’t have to conform to insurance mandates to limit appointment times or worry about intense billing practices. Being able to spend the time necessary to address a patient’s needs is critical to building a relationship of mutual respect and trust while providing proper care.

DPC is a Crowd Favorite

Considering that 80% of healthcare services people need annually can be addressed with a family physician,¹ employers love Direct Primary Care’s (DPC) no-claims environment. Instead of paying monthly premiums and insurance claims after an employee receives primary care, their employees can enroll in a monthly DPC healthcare membership for a low monthly fee. With a nationwide DPC provider like Healthcare2U, employers with multiple locations can provide the same quality of primary care to employees across every state.

Employees love the convenience and affordability of direct primary care. Most DPC plans offer primary care visits, telemedicine, or virtual visits for little to no out-of-pocket costs. And because members can use a direct primary care membership in conjunction with HDHPs and other healthcare products, families get the coverage they need, starting with day-to-day care.

Benefits brokers are implementing DPC strategies for satisfied clients nationwide. If you’d like more information on how DPC can help end disparities in healthcare, contact Healthcare2U.

¹ Andrew Bazemore, MD, MPH, Stephen Petterson, PhD, Lars E. Peterson, MD, PhD, Richard Bruno, MD, MPH, Yoonkyung Chung, PhD, Robert L. Phillips Jr, MD, MSPH, “Annals of Family Medicine: Higher Primary Care Physician Continuity is Associated With Lower Costs and Hospitalizations,” 2018, 493