Most workers with coverage do not make the best use of their employee benefits and end up costing themselves and their employers more as a result, according to LifeHealthPro.
The average American company experiences annual increases in its health insurance premiums, driven partly by preventable causes. At one employer with between 300 and 400 workers, the news source notes, about 50 percent of employees with coverage never selected a primary care physician and do not go for annual checkups.
It is commonplace for workers to neglect regular examinations and preventive care even when covered. Instead, they may not consider their health until a problem becomes obvious, at which point they go to the emergency room for treatment. This is typically more expensive, LifeHealthPro notes, and the delay in becoming aware of and acting to correct health conditions often makes more expensive treatments necessary.
Similarly, BenefitsPro recently reported that many Americans go to the emergency room when they have dental problems rather than regularly seeing a specialist. Aside from the immediate expense, this may result in a less permanent solution and allow lingering negative effects on the individual's health. Employers may find it effective to work with employee benefit consultants in order to encourage workers to make wiser care choices.
