Houston Business Coalition on Health Survey Finds Managing Healthcare Costs and
Engaging Employees Among Top Challenges for Employers

HOUSTON – APRIL 17, 2017 – Managing healthcare and pharmacy costs and engaging employees in taking an active role in their health are among the top benefit challenges for employers per a new survey from the Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH). HBCH is a non-profit multi-stakeholder organization representing more than 2 million employer-sponsored lives nationally.

“Employers continue to face mounting healthcare and pharmacy costs due in part to their reluctance or inability to integrate all of the touchpoints that make up the health investment portfolio,” said Chris Skisak, PhD, executive director for HBCH. Skisak, who spent 25 years with large Houston employers advises employers to integrate the functions, processes, and data of these touchpoints to best impact
cost, quality and experience. “In the meantime, employers are focusing on improving the health and well-being of their workforce by offering wellness activities in hopes of preventing costly health problems and improving productivity.”

Survey participants were asked to describe their top three 2017 health benefits challenges. Outside of managing costs and driving engagement, other areas of concern to employers include:

• Managing chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity by offering onsumer tools and better coordinated care.

• Overcoming lack of resources, market pressures, complicated administrative systems and uncertainty related to repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act.

• Demonstrating a return on investment and health improvements for their wellness and wellbeing programs.

• Impacting health care delivery issues such as emergency department overuse, healthcare
system navigation and out of network charges.
• Managing data issues that impact reporting, population health management, and cost and outcome transparency.

Survey methodology
The online survey was completed by 41 organizations of which 98% were HBCH members. Employers represented 60% of responders, reflective of the employer-centric HBCH membership. The energy and support services sector was the leading industry completing the survey. Respondents represented 319,281 local employer-sponsored lives and 616,017 national lives.

About Houston Business Coalition on Health
The non-profit Houston Business Coalition on Health is a leading resource for Houston employers dedicated to providing health benefits at a sustainable cost while improving the quality and employee experience of their delivery through effective benefits design. Formed in 2013 as a merger between the former Houston Wellness Association and Houston Business Group on Health, HBCH is an employer centric organization focused on sharing evidence-based strategies and practices to maximize benefits investments to improve health and health care.

# # #