As the annual open enrollment season approaches, it's crucial for the 153 million Americans covered by employer-sponsored insurance to clearly understand their health plan options. Despite widespread access to health information, a staggering 86% of adults with company-provided health plans lack sufficient health literacy to effectively navigate the health care system.
This can significantly hinder employees’ abilities to make informed health decisions, which can affect public health, patient care, and result in additional costs – both for employers and individuals. In fact, according to The Center for Health Policy Research at George Washington University, poor health literacy is estimated to cost the U.S. economy about $238 billion annually, with employers incurring approximately $4.8 billion of this in administrative costs.
Below are five strategies employers in Virginia can adopt to help boost health literacy, helping employees make more informed care decisions and promoting a healthier, more engaged workforce.
Make the most of wellness programs
Employee wellness programs can help promote health literacy by encouraging consumers to set health goals and offering incentives for certain daily or one-time healthy behaviors. These consumer engagement programs can also assist employees with knowledge and tools to make more informed decisions spanning exercise, nutrition, sleep and preventive care. By integrating wellness initiatives, employers can help create a health-conscious culture, helping motivate employees toward better health and cultivating a more informed workforce.
Inform your workforce on site-of-care choices Educating employees on selecting the appropriate care setting for their needs can lead to substantial savings for both the individual and the organization, enhancing health literacy and financial well-being in the workplace. Where employees seek care – whether through consultations with virtual providers, in-person visits to primary care physicians, trips to urgent care centers, or emergency room (ER) visits – can dramatically affect costs. Notably, ER visits can be up to 52 times more expensive than other care alternatives. While the ER is the go-to option for serious or life-threatening health issues, if an employee is experiencing conditions such as back pain or a muscle sprain, urgent care may be a better site-of-care option since the employee may save up to $872 and the employer may save up to $1,666.
Image provided by The Hodges Partnership
Explore health plans that promote more affordable, equitable care
New health plan models are now available to help drive a more affordable and simplified experience for employers and employees. Some eliminate deductibles and provide clear, upfront cost and coverage information before treatment begins. Such clarity in pricing helps make health care more affordable for people of all ages and with various common conditions and comorbidities.
Promote Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
Health literacy and financial literacy are closely linked, as they both play a critical role in our ability to make well-informed decisions about our health and financial well-being. Many employee assistance programs offer financial resources and tools to help narrow financial literacy gaps, such as tax planning, debt management, and savings guidance. EAPs can also help address behavioral health issues, which can affect cognitive functions and the ability to understand health information. For instance, millions of UnitedHealthcare members can call in to speak with a master’s level behavioral health clinician to receive support as many times as needed, in real–time, and around the clock.
Leverage Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
Rooted in the principles of diversity and inclusion, ERGs provide a safe space where employees can connect over shared characteristics, demographics, or life experiences. They offer an opportunity for employees to discuss barriers and solutions to health literacy challenges in an authentic, supporting environment. ERGs can be pivotal in pooling collective insights to enhance the effectiveness of outreach of wellness programs and EAPs across the organization.
Promoting health literacy within the workplace is as much a matter of corporate responsibility as it is a strategic investment in the overall well-being and productivity of their employees. By considering these strategies, employers can help improve the health literacy of their workforce, helping support improved health outcomes and lowering the total cost of care.
By Dr. Joydip Roy, Chief Medical Officer, UnitedHealthcare Mid-Atlantic
