In Brief: Many Companies Rethinking Retiree Healthcare; Layperson Guides Can Assist In Disease Management

Large Companies Rethinking Retiree Healthcare Benefits

Many large employers are seriously considering a shift of their retiree healthcare benefits into individual Medicare health plans, according to a survey by Aon Hewitt.

The survey of 548 companies by the Linconshire, Ill.-based Aon Hewitt concluded that more than 60% of them are reconsidering the way they provide retiree healthcare benefits. Nearly a third are have already decided to make a strategy change.

Regarding Part D benefits, more than half of employers said they have plans to make dramatic changes, and more than a third have already instituted changes since 2010. According to the Aon Hewitt data, just 48% of those companies surveyed collected the Part D retiree drug subsidy – down from 63% in 2010.

"In the past, many employers leveraged Medicare Advantage plan strategies because the savings could be significant," said John Grosso, who heads Aon Hewitt's retiree healthcare task force. "Over time, these plans experienced significant challenges as federal funding cuts took place, which led to increases in plan premiums, reductions in benefits and plans exiting certain locations. While the Affordable Care Act introduced a number of changes to the Medicare Advantage program, employers generally want to see consistent performance over time and a stable federal funding commitment before investing in these groupbased strategies for the long-term."

Layperson Care Guides Seen Effectve In Controlling Chronic Conditions

A new study undertaken by Minneapolis-based Allina Health has concluded that a layperson who serves as a “care guide” could prove an effective tool in combatting chronic diseases.

The study, conducted in conjunction with researchers from the University of Minnesota, examined 2,135 patients with a chronic disease such as diabetes. A group of patients were assigned individual care guides who shared similar cultural backgrounds and received special training intended to assist the patients in controlling their conditions. A control group did not receive such assignments.

Those patients assigned care guides reduced unmet healthcare goals by more than 30%. Those in the control group reduced their goals by 12.6%.

“The integration of non-clinical people in the primary care delivery process can help both patients and physicians focus on achieving important health goals and do so at an affordable price,” said Richard Adair, M.D., an internist at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, part of the Allina Health system.

The estimated cost of a layperson who serves as a care guide is $286 per patient per year, far less than the nurses typically assigned to manage the diseases of patients with chronic conditions.

The results of the study were published in the most recent edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.