The nation is seeing the costly consequences of deferred employer wellness benefits engagement and “elective” screening procedures during the pandemic. Annual tests and checkups were delayed significantly during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in higher health care costs and negative health outcomes.

Evaluating the cost of deferred preventive screening

While the long-term cost of delayed wellness and prevention visits remain to be seen, a November 2021 report by the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network casts a bleak light on early breast cancer diagnosis and treatment numbers and resulting mortality rates. According to the study, the nation could see as many as 2,575 breast cancer deaths through 2030 that could have otherwise been prevented by early detection and treatment.

That single statistic is devastating in terms of preventable loss of life due to cancelled or delayed diagnostic tests covered by employer wellness benefits. For employers, it also means shouldering a higher long-term cost of treatment for later-stage cancer patients. In the context of all cancers and chronic diseases that could have been discovered at earlier stages during the pandemic, the Harvard School of Public Health reported that as much as 20 percent of the American population deferred preventive check-ups and medical intervention for symptoms during 2020 and 2021.

As a result, employer wellness benefits teams now face a mandate to increase engagement and utilization of health screenings to save lives and reduce the higher healthcare costs of deferred treatment.

Employer wellness benefits require assessment, engagement strategies

Population-specific employer wellness benefits plans take into account utilization levels and health risks based on population health. Developing a benefits package that is specific to an employer population is the first step in ensuring that covered preventive screening tests address as many potential health risks as possible.

In addition, that initial population assessment should identify gaps in health education. Specific wellness vendors offer behavioral health and preventive care education that could help bridge those gaps for at-risk employees, but employers must also provide engagement strategies that increase population utilization of those programs.

The future of wellness benefits engagement is now

Benefits package designers and HR staff members don’t have to face this new engagement challenge alone. The experts at Aquila have been designing customized employer wellness benefits plans and increasing employee engagement and utilization for public and private sector organizations for more than 25 years. Contact us today to learn how Aquila can help design your corporate wellness program to provide benefits such as timely preventive health screening and education, delivered in an engaging and well-researched format specific to your population.