Health care reform is already having consequences beyond plan reorganization. PPACA is transforming the landscape of compensation, and, as a result, is inciting action in the leadership that had previously left health care to human resources. The C-suite, and particularly the CFO, brings unique abilities to the dialogue on benefits that can direct a company toward success. It is critical that management, both functional and executive, understands the implications of health care reform in 2014 and beyond.
Increased collaboration between Finance and Human Resources
The number one issue facing businesses today is ambiguity about the future around health care. Ambiguity in changing regulatory guidelines and rising costs causes executives to feel uncertainty about growing their businesses. Business Finance Magazine, in the recent article, “Bridging the CFO-HR Divide,” by Trent Beekman, notes that the average company diverts 1/3 of its finances towards human capital, including benefits. CFOs should be familiar with such a significant portion of company cost.As health care costs rise year over year, CFOs are recognizing their fiscal responsibility to research the effects of PPACA on their companies. C-level executives (who may have traditionally only stepped in once a year to review rising plan rates) are engaging in the health care discussion. They’re finding that even after necessary cost shifting to employees, changing plans and reducing benefits, health care costs are higher than ever, and they want answers on how to combat this.
One of the answers is coming in the form of changing total compensation programs. Despite rising health care costs, benefits offering must remain competitive in order to retain high-value employees. Compensation strategy must be created with health care reform tax incentives and mandates in mind, and, to quote Beekman, “It will require an all-hands-on-deck mentality.”
Understanding the options
The implications of PPACA will be different for every company. PPACA is transforming the marketplace, both in benefits strategy and in employee opinion of benefits. There are myriad options to best set up a plan strategy for 2014 and beyond, while at the same time offering great coverage to retain top talent. For a company to stay competitive in the years to come, it is crucial that it fully comprehends these options at their deepest level. Finance executives may be more receptive than their HR counterparts to new benefit approaches that take advantage of new structures and incentives created by health care reform. The Business Finance Magazine article points out:“Historically, CEOs and presidents have made all decisions on human capital expenditures [such as health care], and while they often consult HR as part of that process, more often than not, CFOs are kept out of the loop. Giving CFOs a greater presence and voice in the process could help ensure that such important decisions are more fully vetted.”
Benefits plans are like any other aspect of the business: someone needs to be steering the ship to make sure it goes the right direction. My dad always said, “If the boat misses the harbor, rarely is it the harbor’s fault.” Benefits planning requires more than just setting a budget at the beginning of the year and relying on a human resources team to determine the specifics. The C-Suite has plans for managing every other aspect of the business—a strategic road map is necessary for benefits, too.
Remaining at the forefront
Our company works with senior executives every day to help them optimize their investments in employee benefits. In doing so, we see that, across industries, regions and business sizes, business leaders don’t have the most basic working knowledge about the new structures and incentives embedded in health care reform. Everything else is inconsequential until executives truly understand the implications of health care reform.As we have been saying for several months, we believe health care reform is the single greatest opportunity in our lifetime to get employers to think differently about how they allocate compensation to benefit programs. The entity (whether a consultant or a carrier) that helps the C-suite with a health care reform response plan will have an excellent opportunity to prescribe a package of products and services to better meet the employer's needs (and escape the potential “trap” of fighting over the scraps left behind after major medical decisions are made).
Now is the time for employers to recognize and implement changes that will set them apart from their competition. The Towers article points out that "savvy organizations need to act now to responsibly assess the business implications, model different scenarios and consider the impact of each reform option on their entire reward program." Leading employers will not be the last to figure out the implications of health care reform. If they are, they will no longer be leading employers.
The CHROME Compass is the leading platform to facilitate this response plan. Certified CHROME Consultants are in the lead position to take advantage of the opportunities created by health care reform. But, as my Dad always says, “Eventually, even the dummies will figure it out.” There is a window of opportunity here. Let’s not miss it!
Eric Helman
CEO and Founder
ContinuousHealth
www.continuoushealth.com
This article was first
featured in the March 13th edition of our e-newsletter,
Directions. If you'd like to receive that weekly email, contact
directions@continuoushealth.com. (Your email will never
be shared, sold, or otherwise distributed, and you will receive only the type of
content for which you sign up.)
Follow ContinuousHealth on
LinkedIn or on Twitter @chealthupdate for interesting articles, industry
insight, and a first look at new products and services.
No comments:
Post a Comment