What could be more timely than the topic of engaging employees through effective consumer-driven health care programs? Recently, Mark Sabljak, publisher of The Business Journal Serving Greater Milwaukee, sat down with employers and representatives of Humana and the Business Health Care Group (BHCG) to discuss their experiences and insight into consumer-driven strategies. Highlights of the discussion were published in the January 29 edition of The Business Journal.

The roundtable, sponsored by Humana and the BHCG, was led by Sabljak, Kristine Seymour, president of Humana Wisconsin and Dianne Kiehl, executive director of the BHCG. Employer representatives included Craig Reynolds, Briggs & Stratton Corporation; Christine Reichardt, Journal Communications; Staci Benz, Children’s Hospital and Health System; Lisa Mrozinski, Robert W. Baird; Lori Van Dalen, Luther Manor; Susan Butler, MSI General Corporation; and Lora Mirasola, Charter Manufacturing.

Strategies vary
Employer participants reported they use a variety of consumer-driven approaches to reduce health care costs. They include implementing:

• A full-replacement consumer-driven health plan
• An on-site medical clinic for free primary care services
• A health savings account coupled with a high deductible plan
• Establishment of wellness and prevention programs

The tools and resources offered through the BHCG and Humana play an important role in their strategies. A Buyer’s Guide to Health Care, the series of eight online videos that promote health care consumerism and behavior change, was cited by the employers as a valuable consumer engagement resource. “We encourage employees to view the ‘Meet Joe’ videos which encourage employees to ask questions,” said Reichardt of Journal Communications.

Promoting health creatively
Employers have also implemented incentive programs – ranging from a drawing for zero employee health care contributions to days off – to motivate employees to lead healthier lifestyles or become more educated and engaged health care consumers. “We provide a reward for completing a health risk assessment and another for passing the risk factors. We also have something called ‘Lose 10’ that gives people who are outside their healthy weight corridors $220 if they lose 10 percent of their weight,” said Reynolds of Briggs and Stratton.

Humana has made the task of health promotion easier for BHCG fully insured employers by offering the Humana Momentum program, a reward program for healthy decision-making which can ultimately lead to premium reductions. “We are very cautious about our expenses, so the program is ideal for us because it provides us with a tool that is ready to use,” said Van Dalen of Luther Manor.

Communication is key
Employers agree that all approaches require a careful, multi-level communication strategy. “Because we have people who have a variety of different communication tools available to them, we use everything – our computer and e-mail systems, posters, table tents, one-on-one communication and the company newsletter,” said Van Dalen.

Charter Manufacturing relies on on-site, one-on-one communication to uncover individual knowledge gaps and help employees understand how to be better health care consumers. Employers also mentioned the importance of reinforcing messages over time in accessible formats to help employees understand concepts. “If you tell them at open enrollment but don’t follow up, they will have totally forgotten the concept by the time they go to use it,” said Reichardt.

Consumer decision-making tools like Humana’s Plan Professor and Smart Summary are also used to engage employees. “There is often an ‘ah-ha’ moment when a person realizes how much a procedure costs or how much they spent over the last 12 months,” said Benz of Children’s Hospital.

A marathon, not a sprint
Engaging employees to change behaviors – and subsequently reducing costs – is an ongoing endeavor, but employers have seen changes that encourage them. Things like decreases in emergency room usage and significant health risk factors suggest their efforts are starting to pay off.

With the help of the BHCG, employers can share strategies and work together to lower the barriers for creating change. “We have to make sure that we are engaged in activities that promote accountability. We also have to make sure that everyone is working toward the same goal,” said Kiehl.

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