If the pool is no longer safe for your customers, do you possess the tools to help them keep their heads above water?

Fully funded group insurance products made sense for many employers for a long period of time.  The concept was simple; buy health insurance from a carrier and pool the risks.  This way, when one company had a bad year, the other companies in the pool would absorb the blow for a company on the ropes.  This kept costs relatively flat, give or take some points for inflation.

But then the pool got “dirty,” quickly, as employees who made up that pool collectively became less and less healthy.  Combine that with more expensive healthcare, a rise in prescription drug costs, and you have a perfect storm that left few unaffected.

So why has the pool become so unhealthy to swim in? There are no simple answers. What there are, however, are countless studies that rehash at great length the downward spiral regarding the overall health of the American people.  Obesity is one that is often cited, as rates are out of control….and still climbing.  The fact that current and retired military leadership have called obesity a serious national security threat, one that warrants immediate action, reflects the gravity of the issue. This is not to imply that soldiers should be posted outside Burger King, but it does give gravity to what may very well be considered a national epidemic. And one that directly impacts healthcare costs.  We can get technical on why we are seeing a disturbing rise in the tide, but it’s really pretty simple: we eat more bad things and exercise less due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

So, what can we do to clean up the pool water?  Dustin Boss, lead educator for the Institute of Benefits and Wellness Professionals (IBWP), addresses these points in an excellent article in the November issue of Health Insurance Underwriter magazine.  To read more, click here: http://www.mydigitalrendition.com/publication/?i=180305.