Proactive Care Strategy Today

Assistance with sleep and treatment for insomnia should be included in any behavioral health strategy, including EAP offerings, and should also be integrated into workplace injury prevention and ergonomics efforts. Medical benefits, safety, and workers’ compensation are often siloed within organizations. While this may support internal structure, it does not optimize overall employee health, wellness, or injury prevention. A more effective approach is to connect these strateg

Infertility benefits are costly, but they can help people live their best lives. There are valid arguments on both sides of how these costs should be shared, and the right approach depends on each organization’s Total Rewards strategy. Shy of offering a comprehensive infertility benefit, or alongside one, employers can focus on linking and helping employees understand the downstream value of engaging with existing health strategies. This includes helping both men and women un

Cardiometabolic and cardiovascular strategy should start with the “young and healthy.” Helping families understand what ultra-processed means, how to avoid these foods, and gradually shift family culture around food is critical. One way to approach this is through a Total Rewards lens, by increasing relative compensation through benefits that support access to healthy, whole foods. Creating benefits that reduce the cost of nutritious options to levels comparable with ultra-pr

Increased consumption of unhealthy foods and reduced healthy daily movement is accelerating aging and shortening lifespan. The body can become over-stressed and begin to deteriorate even when we are not aware of it. Over time, stress accumulates and the body starts to decline. The more stress placed on the body, the earlier that decline occurs. Added weight on weaker muscles only worsens this trajectory and limits the potential for a long, functional life. This relationship i

Managing pharmacy costs is important, and it can be achieved through multiple approaches, including negotiating prices (i.e., rebates) and optimizing utilization. However, reducing total pharmacy costs can also come from prioritizing increased utilization in the right areas. Instead of consistently restricting use, organizations should look for win-win opportunities where strategic pharmacy investments drive better outcomes and lower overall spend. One example is optimizing t

Having a unified, holistic behavioral health strategy is imperative for strong population health and overall wellness. Without fully integrated, physician-level psychiatric care, any strategy is inherently lacking. A key metric for evaluating the value of a behavioral health provider is the number of physicians available to care for the population. This is critical given the complexity of managing antidepressant and antianxiety medications, including the need to appropriately

There is growing evidence supporting the tight relationship between lifestyle choices and brain disease. Across the literature, the recommendations are remarkably consistent with those used to reduce vascular disease. In simple terms, brain disease can be thought of as the same underlying process as heart disease, just occurring in a different organ, with dementia representing the clinical signs and symptoms. Research shows that unhealthy lifestyle patterns, such as physical

Most self-insured employers and other large risk-bearing groups are facing higher renewal rates for 2027, and if sustained, these increases may become unsustainable. To understand how to address this trend, we must first understand why it is happening, and the data makes the answer clear. Hospital utilization, not price, is the primary driver. From 2022 to 2024, hospital spending accounted for 40% of the total increase in national health spending, grew faster than overall hea

PROACTIVE CARE , including primary care, is the most effective way to reduce preventable inpatient utilization and slow the continued rise in total cost of care year-over-year, yet providers who deliver this care remain in short supply. This imbalance is the result of years of short-sighted decisions, including broad reductions in provider reimbursement rather than strategic investment, a lack of clear definition around high-value care, and a system that prioritizes cost-cutt

The fitness industry is full of myths that often seep into public health beliefs, and even major institutions like the NIH and CDC can reflect this confusion. Many popular myths revolve around protein and carbohydrates, though there is truth within each. Protein is essential for overall health, and limiting simple or processed sugars is important. Increasing evidence supports a whole-food, plant-forward, low-inflammatory, and Mediterranean-style diet. The EAT-Lancet diet is a

Many strategies target only a portion of the population, but few address more than half while also benefiting higher healthcare utilizers. Chronic pain, including headaches and diabetic neuropathy, is one area where a widely available and easily accessible approach can serve as a “front door” to fully engage members and integrate them into a holistic health and wellness strategy. Nervous system disorders are highly prevalent and contribute significantly to disability and heal

Not offering benefits or coverage for certain diagnoses can be an appropriate strategy in some situations. The challenge with “casting the net” this way is that there are many reasons behind any diagnosis. For example, many individuals with schizophrenia take medications that significantly increase weight and can lead to obesity. Because of this, any obesity or GLP-1RA strategy should consider members who experience weight gain due to iatrogenic causes. There may also be broa

Interesting research for those, like us, who love coffee. It is still difficult to know the true benefit at this point, or whether a meaningful effect really exists, but a meta-analysis is a strong study design and worth noting. Recent research examining multiple studies suggests that people who drink coffee may have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). A systematic review and meta-analysis of eight studies found that coffee drinkers were about 22% less likely

Hemodialysis is costly, the market is dominated by a few large provider groups, and peritoneal dialysis has continued to progress as a less costly option. Despite this, the market still predominantly utilizes hemodialysis, often with potentially higher profit margins. Getting these members to Medicare is one strategy, but there is typically a time gap before that transition occurs. One way to address this is to evaluate clinical pathways for members with chronic kidney diseas

Investing in new pharmacy and drug technology is a hot topic. Technology is meeting demand, but at a high financial cost. The question for plan sponsors is where to lean in and where to slow-walk coverage. One area of smart investment is type 1 diabetes, provided there is sound clinical logic and meaningful potential benefit behind the technology. The opportunity to reduce downstream medical costs is significant and may justify the risk of investing in solutions that do not u

Strong research continues to support COVID immunization status as significantly protective for overall health and longevity. Personal biases aside, the evidence reinforces vaccination campaigns as a sound public health and workforce strategy. A large study of more than 28 million adults under age 60 found that individuals who received at least one dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine had lower all-cause mortality over a four-year period compared with those who were unvaccinated. A

Many self-insured employers and large risk-bearing organizations must strategize and budget Total Rewards within a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) that typically ranges from 2% to 4% annually. At the same time, rising health benefit costs, averaging 7% to 8%, often force proportional reductions in compensation adjustments. Employer compensation is one of the most powerful Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) for working populations. When pay growth slows, health outcomes can

How can we get all healthcare marketplace stakeholders working together to address rising costs and slow the year-over-year premium increases in employer-sponsored health plans? A few key, actionable, and realistic steps stand out. First, the member: link proactivity and better health maintenance to real financial value. Reduced downstream utilization, especially inpatient, should translate into lower premium contributions and increased compensation. Second, the plan: make

Maintaining target cholesterol levels throughout life helps prevent heart attacks, strokes, and dementia. Regular monitoring and appropriate treatment reduce the risk of future hospitalization and skilled nursing facility care. Statin drugs are an effective and widely available tool to help individuals reach cholesterol goals when diet and exercise alone are not enough. Despite ongoing and popular misinformation, strong evidence continues to show that statins are safe and eff

When promoting strategies such as improving primary care access and utilization, it is important to understand where the current delivery model stands. While many new technologies promise to improve provider efficiency and productivity, they have not yet fully delivered on that promise despite significant marketing. What continues to show value is allowing providers dedicated time within the clinic day to think about and support patient care, including documentation and follo