Dive Brief:
- Holistic health is making waves within employee healthcare benefit plans, as a few insurers are turning primary and preventative care into cost savings and healthier workers, according to Employee Benefits News.
- The article cited UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest health insurer, which is winning its $65 million gamble on holistic healthcare. The goal is to elevate primary care by lowering hospitalizations and overall health costs.
- Another carrier, Harken Health Insurance, which specializes in individual and small business clients, includes no-cost, unlimited doctor visits and 24/7 phone access in Chicago and Atlanta. Plan members also receive access to a personal health coach and mental health counseling, as well as yoga, cooking and acupuncture classes.
Dive Insight:
Rick Lindquist, CEO/president of Zane Benefits, a broker and the author of The End of Employer-Provided Health Insurance, told EBN "it makes a ton of sense. It’s very clear to me that they see broker distribution as a huge part of their business.”
Lindquist told EBN that consumerism continues to have a major impact on the employee benefits landscape, and companies like Harken Health are becoming more focused on servicing the employee directly.
Kaiser Permanente, the California-based healthcare carrier, deployed what it calls “Imagining Care Anywhere,” offering real-time, personalized treatment members can access remotely. And Anthem Blue Cross members can use their smartphone, tablet or home computer for 24-hour telehealth visits ($49 each) with board certified doctors.
To take advantage of this new trend, Lindquist says benefit advisers must change their one-size-fits-all group plan sales to help employers define and allocate their budgets “in terms of real-dollar benefit contributions” and provide services tailored to each employee.
