3 ways for employers to combat the costs of deferred medical care

Every healthcare provider knows that the earlier diseases are diagnosed, the more positive the treatment outcome. Regrettably, the pandemic shook up medicine to such a degree that early identification of conditions and illnesses other than COVID were put on the back burner — and that has serious costs, both physically and financially.

Research from the Harvard School of Public Health reveals that 20% of people deferred their healthcare between 2020 and 2021. And they didn’t just stop going in for routine medical care or physicals; they stopped calling their physicians at the onset of more serious and immediate symptoms and concerns, too. For countless people with progressive diseases, like some cancers, this delayed medical care significantly impacted their chance to be properly treated and, in some cases, to survive.

This is disconcerting for many reasons and from many perspectives. Beyond the human cost, there are financial costs, too. For individuals, a delay in diagnosis can generally be linked to a big medical bill followed by others. After all, the longer someone waits to ask for care, the higher the overall price of treatment will be. For instance, many prescriptions aren’t necessary if diseases are identified from the beginning.

From a business standpoint, the cost of care is a concern, too. Workers who receive early diagnoses frequently don’t have to take off as much time for appointments, treatment, or recovery. So why aren’t employer groups and benefits brokers offering benefits that combat the issue? Many aren’t considering the short-term and long-term consequences.

Covered care for employees tends to focus on “in the moment” medical expenses. Accordingly, employers aren’t future-proofing their employer health benefits plans. Instead, they’re providing the care and packages that seem to be reasonable and cost-effective for the here and now. While this is understandable, it puts them and their covered employees at a disadvantage when longer-term and more complicated health issues come up.

In other words, employers and benefits brokers need to begin planning today for more increased claims down the road. At the same time, they also need to come up with preventive strategies to reduce the likelihood of further delays. Below are just a few of the ways employers and brokers can proactively mitigate the increasing medical costs associated with deferred treatment.

1. Conduct risk-benefit analyses for employee pools.

Companies have access to data that can help them understand the current and anticipated needs and their workers’ health risks. Characteristics like age, known health conditions, exposure to toxins like recreational drugs, excessive alcohol consumption, and risky behaviors, such as bad driving, can increase a person’s chance of developing a disease.

Employers and brokers can look at this data from different angles to gain a better understanding of various employee groups within the company. Leveraging the information, they can prepare for potential logistical challenges related to possible acute and subacute medical care. This could include switching to a different type of plan or augmenting a plan with other types of healthcare resources to serve the needs of the overall population.

2. Offer access to expert-level second opinions.

The second opinion is a common phenomenon in the medical community. Yet many people just assume they’re getting the best care from their local doctors. That’s not always the case, particularly if a patient is diagnosed with a rare type of cancer or requires someone with a specialization. In that situation, being able to gain access to a world-class network of specialists rather than another local physician can be life-changing and life-saving. It can reduce expenses related to misdiagnosis and overtreatment in the long run, too.

Unfortunately, many employers assume that bringing second opinions will only increase costs. That’s inaccurate. Today, telemedicine offers employers and brokers the chance to bring virtual second opinions from elite medical experts to ailing workers and their treating physicians. A remote second opinion can be surprisingly affordable. Best of all, employees who are given the option to receive care from experts are more apt to advocate for themselves.

3. Assess prior and plan for future incidents of long COVID.

Long COVID occurs when COVID symptoms last for weeks or months. According to research from UC Davis Health, roughly 1in every 10 COVID patients experiences long COVID. Depending upon how intense the symptoms are, patients may have to use their paid time off or ask for special workplace accommodations as they navigate the impacts of this condition on their health.

Because COVID is still relatively new, few employers have taken the time to figure out its long-haul effects. This includes its impact on psychological and psychiatric diseases. Figures culled by Harvard Medical School indicate a compelling relationship between COVID and the development of psychiatric disorders. Staying abreast of emerging statistics and research on this topic can ensure that brokers and employers work together to put measures and services in place that are designed to help employees stay healthy and get appropriate early care.

The bottom line is that delayed medical care hurts both employers and employees. To reduce employer healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes, every employer should prioritize employer health benefits that encourage and cover proactive care and help employees avoid unnecessary surgeries, prescriptions, and treatments at the onset of an illness. Absolutely everyone will benefit from that.

Dr. Marc Shuman is the President of Medical Programs at MORE Health Inc. He is an emeritus professor of medicine at UCSF and has been listed among the top doctors in America for three decades. Previously, Dr. Shuman was funded by the NIH and the NCI as a principal investigator for 30 years.