“No more blank checks.” That was the message Texas Employers for Affordable Health Care board president Charles Miller delivered to employers and hospitals at the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions annual forum in Washington, DC this week.
Putting data to work
“The amount of hospital price variation is staggering,” said Miller, “but if all you have is transparency and you don’t do anything with it, you just know how badly you’re getting screwed.”
Miller went on to note that price variation can actually be an opportunity to save money if employers design benefit plans that send employees to lower-prices, higher-value facilities. He provided concrete steps can take to rein in their health care expenses, starting with taking control of their data.
“The new report by PBGH is a fantastic piece of work and a playbook for what you can do once you get your data,” Miller said.
He then pointed employers to the Texas Employer Health Care Data Field Guide developed by health care benefit expert Chris Deacon and Texas Employers for Affordable Health Care.
This guide tells you employers to get their health care data and how to put it to use to improve the price and value of their health benefit plans.
And employers who act quickly are going to gain a first-mover advantage, Miller explained, because once a critical mass of employers take action, prices will begin to converge. “So if you want to save big, act now.”
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
In addition to taking control of their data and putting it to work to improve plan value, Miller encouraged employers to speak out about the challenges they face when it comes to health care benefits.
“We’ve been able to take information from employers to lawmakers and get legislative solutions,” Miller noted. “But this wouldn’t have happened had we not heard from employers. When employers let us know what they are dealing with, we can help identify specific barriers — and that allows the Legislature to develop policy solutions.”
We want to hear from you
Do you face challenges to getting your health care data? To getting fair and reasonable contracts? What’s standing between your business and better prices and value for your health care plan? We want to hear from you. Send us a note so that we can follow up with you and find out how, together, we can improve the value of health care spending.
Because the days of blank checks are over.