Health

Health Care Resource Guide • 2015 – 2016 7 H ealth care cost containment and the modification of consumer lifestyles that drive healthcare costs are the issues facing employers today. This was the focus of a conference held last August 12, sponsored by the Worcester Business Journal, featuring speakers and panelists from both health care providers and the employers who bear the pressures and the costs – not to mention the delicate issues of how to promote wellness programs to their workforces. Welcome to the Oasis at Dodge Park A Revolutionary Residential Care Facility for the Elderly and those diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Central Massachusetts RESERVATIONS BEING ACCEPTED - OPENING SPRING 2016 1 0 2 R A N D O L P H R O A D , W O R C E S T E R • A T T H E S I T E O F T H E O L D O D D F E L L O W S H O M E O A S I S A T D O D G E P A R K . C O M • ( 5 0 8 ) 8 5 3 - 8 1 8 0 Big-company solutions Keynote speaker Delia Vetter, se- nior director, benefits and programs at EMC Corp., outlined a ten-year cost containment program that she said saved EMC $536 million in health care costs, compared to na- tional averages. Prior to the program's implementation, EMC experienced double-digit annual cost increases despite good relationships with ven- dors, Vetter said. Prior to 2000, EMC looked at health plans as vendors, she said. e company had 30 different health plans in the U.S. alone. But the rela- tionship has since moved from ven- dor to partner. In general, consumers drive cost increases because health insurance coverage does not directly expose them to the actual costs. She cited the statistic that 15 percent of the population drives 75 percent of total health care costs. Her advice to employers: Human resource desig- nees should learn what they can on their own about challenges at the provider level and use that to design a benefit program, she said. In a big-company environment, the stakes are larger, and taking a bot- tom-up approach has more impact. "You never want the CEO, boss or fi- nance person to tell you that you have to shave $20 million from healthcare costs. Because then you're reactive," she said. EMC presented its case to the board chair and implemented its strategy. EMC self-insures, setting aside money to cover anticipated claims rather than pay premiums. In the year 2000, the dot-com bust hap- pened, driving the stock price down. Developing a health plan that kept the company competitive and afford- able to employees was the priority. "We were the first to integrate the en- vironment, to look at data on a regu- lar basis," Vetter said. Pocketbook issues e panel discussion included Jane Fontaine, vice president of human re- sources at Marlborough-based Digital Federal Credit Union; Stephen Carey, vice president of human resources at Polar Beverages in Worcester; Da- vid Przesiek, senior vice president and chief sales officer at Worcester- based Fallon Health, and Dr. Michael Sheehy, acting chief medical officer at Reliant Health Care. continued on page 8

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