{"id":1943,"date":"2022-07-13T10:23:51","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T15:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/?post_type=insight&p=1943"},"modified":"2022-07-13T10:23:51","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T15:23:51","slug":"delayed-preventative-care","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.bbrown.com\/us\/insight\/delayed-preventative-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Delayed Preventive Care \u2013 How This Silent Phenomenon Is Impacting Your Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Employee Benefits<\/p>\n

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\n Delayed Preventive Care \u2013 How This Silent Phenomenon Is Impacting Your Workforce\n <\/h1>\n\t\n <\/div>[vc_column_text]Amongst the myriad of COVID\u2019s long-term consequences, delayed preventive care has emerged as a concern for workforce populations. <\/span>At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic<\/span><\/a>, cancer screenings and other elective preventive health care declined.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While preventive health care is on the rise towards pre-pandemic levels, nearly <\/span>50% of adults aged 18 to 34 have been unable to catch up<\/span><\/a> with appointments they missed during the pandemic. The impact of this phenomenon is now being felt, with providers reporting negative health consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n

Delayed Care from an Employer\u2019s Perspective<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Telemedicine and digital tools have helped to fill health care gaps, but many people have neglected non-emergency health care altogether, including annual preventive screenings for conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This ongoing delayed care is a concern for employers. Neglecting preventative health care appointments may lead to lower employee well-being, which is a concern for employers due to the <\/span>well-documented correlations between poor health and poor performance.<\/span><\/a> In fact, <\/span>poor health and illnesses cost U.S. employers $575 billion annually<\/span><\/a> in lost workplace productivity and absenteeism.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the Pandemic: Addressing Barriers to Care<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

While COVID-19 exacerbated preventive care delays, it was not entirely responsible. Financial and access barriers unrelated to COVID-19 account for 69% of the general U.S. population who reported <\/span>delaying care for serious problems<\/span><\/a>. These barriers included being unable to get an appointment, find a physician who would see them or access the care location. This appears to be a consistent issue across many populations since there were no significant differences in delayed care for serious medical problems based on insurance status, type or racial\/ethnic group.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The consequences of delaying medical care can include exacerbating morbidity and mortality associated with chronic and acute medical conditions. New diagnoses may also emerge with greater severity, given the lack of early screening.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Can Employers Do?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

To help counteract this reality, many employers are<\/span> increasing <\/span>chronic-disease screening and management programs. <\/span>For example, employers are enhancing and expanding<\/span> diabetes management program<\/span>s<\/span> to provide free equipment for monitoring blood sugar, as well as materials and coaching for employees with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.<\/span> Other <\/span>considerations<\/span> include<\/span> the following<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n