Principal Edge NetworkSM: Health Improvement
Seven common chronic conditions – many related to obesity – were responsible for 1.3 trillion dollars in medical expenses and lost productivity in the United States in 2007.1
The new truth about health coverage is that if all we do is pay claims, we are not doing enough. We must align with physicians and providers to help members focus on staying healthy and/or improving their health.
How we're helping members improve their health
Many insurance carriers neglect health improvement in a rush to design products with the lowest rate. But building health-improvement coverage solutions is no small task. It takes considerable investment in a variety of areas:
- Proactive engagement – We engage all members when they are healthy with hundreds of online tools, calculators and articles, discounts on health-related services and more. We promote robust preventive-care benefits and well-child benefits so that members see their physician when they are well – not just when they’re sick.
- Wellness programs – We offer proven wellness programs that multiply the opportunities to monitor and improve health. Integration with our health coverage creates a web of touch points, effective in changing member behavior for the better.
- Early and effective advocacy – Programs help members make the best use of their health care benefits. Early identification and automatic intervention helps members get care for their conditions earlier, when the conditions are most treatable and less costly.
In each of these areas, we use our tools to coordinate with physicians and providers, not displace them.
1. DeVol and Bedroussian. An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease – Charting a New Course to Save Lives and Increase Productivity and Economic Growth. The Milken Institute. October 2007
EC 1789-1
09/2008
