Don't wait for reform - prepare for the future now, brokers urge

President Barrack Obama's address to Congress, speeches and public appearances have made one thing clear: Change is coming to America's health care system.

Certainly, the details and scope of reform are far from worked out, but the debate has progressed far enough that change is inevitable.

With all of this uncertainty, you might be tempted to simply bide your time until the outcome is clear. But that's neither prudent nor necessary. Consumers and businesses that wait to take action will see more income consumed by health care. The good news is that you can address the realities of today even as the policies of tomorrow take shape.

We see a few repeating motifs that consumers and business operators should accept in order to prepare for the post-reform world:

* Change is a given. We won't see the equivalent of a Clinton-era total retreat from health care reform.

* Employees will have more options. The popular vision is of a more open health-care marketplace. That will mean expanded options for everyone.

* Employers will continue to play a key role. Regardless of where this movement leads, employers will be pivotal to the provision, distribution and communication of health care coverage.

* Employers will continue to be judged by benefits. Workers are accustomed to comparing employers on the basis of benefits. This will not change.

* Employees will continue to look to employers for benefits information and help. The infrastructure employers offer for information and assistance is too valuable to abandon.

With all of this in mind, what can and should business leaders do today to prepare for reform?

* Increase communication with understandable information. The recent MetLife Study of Employee Benefits Trends shows employees want more than simple information - they look to employers for direction and guidance. By accommodating this need, employers make employees better consumers, control costs and strengthen their relationships with employees.

* Support employees as consumers. In 2007, MetLife found that employees spend less time considering employee benefits purchases than they spend considering home electronics purchase.

* Increase focus on wellness. Research has pegged the return on wellness investments at anywhere from $3 for every dollar invested to more than twice that much. But a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of U.S. companies found that less than a third of eligible employees enroll in wellness programs. Pushing for more wellness will serve employees' well-being and the bottom line.

* Invest in preventive coverage. With more than 75% of health care spending linked to conditions that could be prevented or delayed through healthier living and prevention, an investment in prevention programs would pay for itself.

* Be aware of workforce demographics. Health care reform will affect demographic groups differently. Being aware of the make-up of individual workforces will help with deciding which benefits are most necessary and also help to tailor communications efforts more effectively.

* Push for innovation - leaders find new ideas first. Employers must seek innovative ways to reform policies now, encouraging wellness and the efficient use of health care.

The good news is that the measures that drive successful businesses are the same measures that will guide employers through this period of uncertainty: a focus on what's best for employees, a commitment to good communications, a dedication to improved productivity and a push for innovation. Commit to those principles throughout this reform process, and you will be prepared for whatever the future brings.

Bryan K. Brenner and Russ Stuart
CEO and President, Benefit Associates Inc.
Indianapolis, Ind.

Vendor breaks down truth, lies and semantics in reform debate

When South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson shouted "You lie!" during President Obama's address to Congress in September, he not only displayed incivility and boorish disrespect for the leader of our nation, he exemplified the need for us all to pay very close attention to the specifics of the language being used to advance the health care reform debate. Whether it's the result of crafty semantics on behalf of some or selective hearing on behalf of others, we've been getting so distracted by the rhetoric that we're often clearly missing the message.

In his address, the president stated, "There are also those who claim that our reform efforts would insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally." And this is when Wilson launched his sophomoric outburst. Although what Obama said was 100% true - his reform plan does not provides insurance coverage for people in the country illegally - most know that a law championed by President Reagan in the 1980s makes it illegal for anyone seeking ER care to be denied services because they are uninsured. Therefore, regardless of any proposed reform legislation, illegal immigrants can get treatment.

The president also said in his address that "if you are among the hundreds of millions of Americans who already have health insurance through your job, or Medicare, or Medicaid, or the VA, nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have." Again, this is a true statement - on the surface. While the proposed legislation wouldn't directly require anyone to change anything, in many cases there will be myriad incentives - financial and otherwise - that could convince employers to significantly change or drop their existing health plans. In that case, individuals working for these organizations will indeed have to find different coverage and/or change doctors.

As we move ever closer to a reform bill and its eventual passage, it would behoove us all to listen very carefully to the various issues being discussed, particularly the most controversial ones. We could all learn a great deal from what is being said - or not said.

David St. Clair
Founder, MEDecision
Wayne, Pa.