Health equity and the impact of COVID-19 top employer concerns for 2022
Access to mental healthcare and on-site medical clinics are also top-of-mind as employers anticipate future struggles.
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Large U.S. employers pinpointed five major areas of concern, including health equity and the COVID-19 pandemic's long-term impact, as they modify benefits strategies and programs against the backdrop of the ongoing public health emergency, according to Business Group on Health's 2022 Large Employers' Health Care Strategy and Plan Design Survey.
The survey also showed that top concerns include expanding access to mental healthcare, monitoring trends in care delivery and preparing for an uptick in healthcare spending.
The 136 large employers who took part in the Business Group survey in June 2021 represent diverse sectors of industry and provide health insurance for more than eight million people.
WHAT'S THE IMPACT?
Among the five concerning trends for employers are the pandemic's potential long-term impact on employees. Because of COVID-19, doctor visits and preventive screenings were delayed or missed, while depression, anxiety and substance use disorders surged.
Employers anticipate seeing an increase in medical services, late-stage cancer diagnoses and numbers of people with long-term mental health and substance use issues for years to come. For instance, 94% of employers anticipate an increase in medical services due to delayed care, while 91% remain concerned about long-term mental health issues stemming from the pandemic.
Employers are also focusing on social determinants of health to boost health equity and promote systemic change. They're initiating programs they hope will improve employees' lives, including improved access to healthcare and financial programs. As such, their goal is to help to address the underlying social and economic challenges that influence regular health habits, overall wellbeing and even mortality rates.
Expanding access to mental healthcare is also a top concern on its own. While the pandemic helped to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and the workplace, 2022 will mark the first time that a majority of employers will have an anti-stigma campaign, according to the survey. Access to mental healthcare is a top priority for more than three-quarters of large employers surveyed.
Also on their radar: Valuing the role of on-site medical clinics, even as virtual health becomes more popular. Fully 76% of employers accelerated telehealth and virtual health offerings since the start of the public health emergency, and plan to maintain these options. But they also see a role for on-site clinics, both to manage COVID-19 testing and vaccinations and to track employees' chronic conditions.
While the number of employers offering on-site or near-site clinics declined between 2020 and 2021, the prevalence of such clinics is expected to eventually return to pre-pandemic levels.
Ultimately, employers are preparing for healthcare spending to rebound this year and next. In 2020, the overall healthcare trend was 0%, though some employers experienced a negative trend, dropping to as low as -12%. In 2021, the trend is predicted to increase to 6% both before and after plan-design changes.
In 2022, the cost trend is expected to decline slightly, dropping from 6% to 5.8% after plan design changes.
THE LARGER TREND
Health equity has been grabbing a larger share of the spotlight as the healthcare industry and the federal government attempt to level the playing field in terms of access to quality care and COVID-19 preventative measures such as vaccinations.
Forty-three states, for example, have created a committee to develop a vaccine distribution plan, but only 20 plans mentioned using a health equity committee to assist with plan development, resulting in a lack of patient advocates, a study found in July.
Mental healthcare, meanwhile, has also received increased attention. Americans have been forgoing primary, preventive and mental healthcare visits. According to data culled from March through October 2020, utilization rates have rebounded to pre-pandemic levels for some treatments, but mental health services have shown the slowest rebound.
This decline in utilization is occurring at a time when preliminary evidence shows mental health conditions have worsened nationwide. The gap in service utilization due to the PHE, particularly for mental health services, may have a substantial impact on long-term health outcomes.
In July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed lifting restrictions on telehealth access in the home for the treatment of mental health disorders and to expand rural access to mental health services through interactive telecommunications.
Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com
