Join Us May 11 for our Virtual Spring Thought Leadership Series

We're honored that next month, in recognition of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, Jill Borrelli, LICSW, Vice President of Behavioral Health at Point32Health and Samaritans Board Member, will join us for edHEALTH's free and virtual Thought Leadership Series. She'll host an honest discussion about the state of mental health in the workplace and what steps employers can take to help improve the well-being of their employees. Please join us virtually on Thursday, May 11, at 9 AM.

Jill also will share her experiences and vision for integrated care, that is, behavioral health and medical care to be considered as one and the same. You'll gain valuable insights into why this issue continues and how you can support your employees in such a sensitive area.

All are welcome! Please share this invitation with your colleagues.

Did you know? Approximately 1 in 36 children are identified with autism spectrum disorder.

April kicked off with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. However, the entire month is an opportunity to show support, share experiences, and build a more inclusive world. You can learn more about its growing prominence and how to support individuals on the spectrum at Autism Speaks or the CDC.

Coming Soon:

Six years running: Walking Challenge Begins on June 5

Let’s strive for a record-breaking, all edHEALTH schools participating in our 6^th annual challenge.

1) Promotes an easy way to support healthier living, in which most people can participate for just four weeks

2) Generates excitement with weekly raffles to keep your faculty and staff engaged in wellness

3) No cost to your school to participate, as edHEALTH pays for the raffles in which participants from all schools are eligible to win

When you’ll learn more: In mid-May, you’ll receive details about the edHEALTH Walking Challenge that kicks off on Monday, June 5th.

On Thursday, May 25, at 11 AM, our meeting will have some special guests. Join us to stay up-to-date on timely member-owner updates and more.

Wednesday, June 21, is our annual member-owner meeting at The Connors Center in Dover, MA. You should have received your invitation already. If you did not, please email Lisa Barnstein.

5 ways HR can create a Gen-Z friendly workplace (HR Executive)

3 ways to help hold the lines on cost post-COVID (BENEFITS PRO)

Higher education hiring challenges continue (Chronicle)

According to Pharmacy Times, between July 2021 and July 2022, more than 1,200 medications had a price increase that surpassed the inflation rate during that time of 8.5%, with the average increase across these drugs coming to a staggering 31.6%. Overall prescription drug spending is projected to rise at an average annual rate of 6.1% through 2027.

Why are we seeing this uptick? An aging population, healthcare services costs, and administrative costs (e.g., financial transactions and patient services) are likely partly to blame. There is a range of strategies and tactics to help combat rising pharmacy costs within your benefits program, but it is important to understand what is driving these costs both globally and specifically within your organization. There is much talk about the skyrocketing costs of specialty medications. Specialty medications are now responsible for over 50% of total pharmacy costs, yet only about 2% of the population is using them. Unfortunately, a significant portion of pharmacy spend is going towards innovative and/or targeted therapies that treat rare, complex, genetic, or inherited diseases, and cancer – all of which are usually beyond our control.

On the other hand, however, there are several behaviors that have a strong influence on health outcomes: tobacco use, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and diet. A direct correlation between cigarette smoking and the risk of heart disease has been shown and it is in fact the single most important modifiable risk factor for heart disease. Cigarette smoking has also been linked to certain cancers, which is the second leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, 16 million Americans have at least one disease caused by smoking, costing over $240 billion in healthcare costs annually.

Obesity has been linked to multiple chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and musculoskeletal conditions impacting bone health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that obesity adds another $173 billion worth of burden on the healthcare system per year because of resulting complications. Several studies have documented the adverse cardiovascular health effects that plague overweight adults. This is partly because obesity adds increased demands on the heart to supply blood to the body. Excess body weight and obesity are linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Losing as little as five to 10 pounds can make a significant difference in your risks. Even if weight control has been a lifelong challenge, taking small steps today can go a long way.

Wellness interventions provide an opportunity for us to have some control over the healthiness of our workforce. These interventions play an important role in moving the needle by working to solve for the root causes at play. Employers should be incentivized to implement these preventative programs not only because wellness programs are considered “nice perks” that increase employee morale and productivity, but also, and more importantly, because they are tangible solutions that can reduce the burden of health and pharmacy costs. If fewer employees need prescription drugs in the first place, pharmacy spending could decrease dramatically. Seems easy, right? 

There are six key lifestyle behaviors that promote a long and healthy life:

The goal is to reduce the need for prescription medication by stopping problems before they even exist. In a study of 55,000 people, those who made healthy lifestyle choices such as avoiding smoking, eating healthy, and exercising lowered their heart disease risk by about 50%. In fact, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors such as those that oppose those listed above cause approximately 70-90% of chronic diseases, which yield up to 75% of total healthcare spend in the U.S. As such, when it comes to medical and pharmacy costs, the most successful wellness programs will be those aimed at those six pillars and affecting long-lasting behavioral changes.

The good news is, the wellness industry awakened with this realization a decade or so ago, in the midst of out-of-control healthcare costs, and now there are a plethora of wellness companies and tools available for employers to leverage. In fact, in the U.S., the wellness industry represents $1.2 trillion in revenue. Honing in on the six behaviors above, employers might consider the following*:

A range of wellness point solutions are out there, and the all-encompassing ones will have tools pointed toward all six of our wellness pillars. Additionally, larger employers have started to introduce onsite health clinics and resources to make employee engagement in their health more convenient. Some incentivize through walking or step challenges. Health plans build in wellness incentives such as reimbursements for gym memberships. Whatever it looks like, introducing preventative measures that lessen the prevalence of disease and poor health outcomes; reduce the need for prescription drugs, lost work days, and absence from work; and improve mental health; can lessen overall healthcare costs and prove advantageous for your workforce.

Before you make any decisions around wellness solutions, be sure to understand what is driving your pharmacy spend within your own organization.