Employer Healthcare Strategies

With the persistent rise in health care costs, U.S. employers of all sizes are focused on controlling costs while also making health care more affordable for employees.

Respondents to the 24th Annual Towers Watson Survey expect total health care costs (employer and employee) to rise 4.9% in 2020 after plan design changes, up nearly a full point from 4.0% in 2019. According to findings from the Towers Watson Financial Benchmarks Survey, the average cost of health care is $13,087 per employee per year (PEPY) in 2019 and is expected to rise to $13,728 in 2020. By point of comparison, the U.S. inflation rate is expected to average 1.8% in 2019 and to increase to 2.0% in 2020. Without plan changes, cost trend would be 5.0% in both 2019 and 2020.

Do you wish you could design your own health plan? Do you want to improve employee health while reducing the cost of care? Then self-funding may be for you.

What exactly is self-funding? Instead of paying a premium to a commercial insurer, employers in a self-funded or “self-insured” health plan accept responsibility for the risk of health care for enrollees. You might be thinking, “How on earth is this a good idea?!” Don’t press the panic button just yet.

Self-funded plans are actually more cost-effective in the long run because expenses associated with a fully insured plan are eliminated and yes, there are smart ways to mitigate risk. In this setup, employers have more control over their health benefit program and have a direct impact in reducing the cost of care by improving employee health. Here are five signs that self-funded health plan might be right for you.

As employers are considering return-to-work plans, CareATC is leading the way by offering COVID-19 antibody testing to clients. 

Is COVID-19 worry and fear causing you stress and anxiety? You’re not alone. Experts have warned that many are likely to face poor mental health even after the Coronavirus pandemic has passed. 

While the coronavirus is at the forefront of public health news, many patients still need access to acute care and support to manage chronic diseases. CareATC is meeting this need by extending hours and expanding access to primary care services with virtual visits 7 days a week from 7AM- 7PM CST. 

Employers around the country are looking for ways to mitigate the effects of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. What if artificial intelligence can help?

Since mid-March, many of our south-east Florida, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Tulsa patients and clients have been able to be tested for COVID-19 at pop-up testing sites organized by CareATC.

U.S. employers, both large and small, are embracing innovative ways to deliver quality healthcare benefits to their employees while simultaneously reducing costs and employee absenteeism. Telehealth is at the vanguard of this effort and is expected to be utilized by 96% of all large employers within the next five years.

On-site clinics have long provided benefits to self-funded employers. Since the early 20th century, on-site clinics have provided employees with immediate access to care and significant health care savings for the employer. 

Today, when employers are asked how they plan to control health benefit cost over the long term, they talk about improving employee health through worksite clinics. Why? Well according to Mercer, 72% of employers offering worksite clinics say that managing employee health risk and chronic conditions are an important objective for the clinic. 

Large employers still dominate the worksite clinic scene, but a new model is emerging, empowering mid-sized and even small employers reap the benefits.