Easy Ways to Reduce Your Healthcare Costs
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By Sue Fudge, Idaho AGC Health Plan Director s inflation takes a bite out of your company’s bottom line, your employees are also feeling the pinch. Health care is not immune from the effects of inflation. Higher overall costs could result in higher provider charges and insurance
premiums. Reducing healthcare costs benefits both the employer and employee. Stabilizing claims costs can help keep the amount paid to insurance carriers from increasing and employees will spend less out-of-pocket. Whether your company self-funds your medical claims or you participate in a group plan, lowering how much your employees and their dependents spend on health care affects everyone on your plan. Employers can communicate these simple steps to employees to help reduce the costs of health care. FIND A PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN
severity of your condition. A primary care physician can help manage chronic conditions, and start the process of annual exams and screenings to keep you healthy and out of the hospital. FOCUS ON PREVENTIVE CARE Your primary care physician will help you understand the importance of annual exams and certain screenings. This step may seem counterintuitive to saving on healthcare costs, but using your benefits is one of the best ways to prevent highdollar claims. Getting routine health screenings may identify health problems early when they are more easily (and costeffectively) treated. Most plans offer preventive services such as screenings, vaccines, and annual wellness visits at no charge to the participant. Employers should encourage employees and their covered dependents to take advantage of these preventive services. Consider giving incentives for employees to get
Establishing a relationship with a primary care physician
preventive services done, like paid time off so they do not have
provides continuity of care. You are more likely to contact your
to worry about losing pay. Catching a health condition in its
primary care physician with questions and they will be familiar
early stages can be the difference between a $35,000 claim, and a
with your medical history to give you advice regarding the
$500,000 claim.
30 BUILDING IDAHO • 2022 SPRING/SUMMER
