Webinar Recap: Cancer's Impact and Management Strategies for Employers

Did you know it’s estimated that 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women will experience cancer at some point in their lifetime?

With this in mind, Captive Resources’ Todd Peterson and Brian Gagne discussed cancer’s impact on self-funded healthcare plans and shared strategies employers can implement to better control spending associated with cancer in our recent Health Risk Management webinar.

Continue reading for a recap of their presentation.

What is Cancer?

According to Peterson, cancer is a group of diseases that occur when cells divide uncontrollably and have the potential to spread to other parts of the body.

There are five stages of cancer, with stage four being the most severe:

• Stage Zero: Cancer cells were found in their earliest form.
• Stage One: A small tumor that hasn’t spread.
• Stage Two: The cancer has grown larger or into nearby tissue.
• Stage Three: The cancer has spread to the lymph nodes or nearby tissue.
• Stage Four: Cancer has spread to distant parts of the body.  

Cancer’s Impact on Healthcare Spend

Cancer’s widespread impact across the United States underscores the importance for employers to understand the healthcare costs associated with the disease.

• Healthcare spending on cancer in the United States reached $190.2 billion in 2015 and has been projected to be as high as $240 billion by 2030.
• Cancer claims continue to be driven up by advances in specialty medications and therapies.
• Cancer costs an employer $120,000 annually in lost productivity per worker.

Consider the following statistics surrounding cancer healthcare spending:

Strategies for Addressing Cancer Prevention and Management

During the webinar, Peterson and Gagne shared strategies employers can implement to encourage awareness around cancer prevention and assist with early detection and treatment.

Below are a few of the strategies shared:

• Emphasize the importance of annual physicals and necessary check-ups for cancer prevention.
• Partner with a vendor to offer cancer screenings onsite.
• Set up a wellness program to incentivize employees to complete annual physicals.
• Offer resources such as cancer screening quizzes from the American Cancer Society. Consider offering an incentive for employees that complete the quiz.

Peterson and Gagne also touched on the importance of educating employees on things they can do to prevent cancer and effectively manage their health. Below are a few things they recommended:

• Encourage employees to understand their family’s history of cancer and seek care accordingly.
• Make sure employees know how to conduct thorough self-exams at home.
• Educate employees on the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Encourage employees to avoid tobacco and alcohol products, maintain a nutritious diet, use sunscreen, and regularly engage in physical activity.
• Make sure employees know what questions to ask their doctor about cancer screenings. Here are a few from the list presented by Gagne and Peterson:
  • Are any cancer screening tests recommended for me? (If so, which ones?)
  • Are there risks to having the test?
  • What happens if the results are not normal?

Effective cancer prevention and early detection strategies can reduce a company’s healthcare spending and significantly improve employees’ quality of life. Employers can utilize a multitude of vendor partners and resources to implement these strategies and provide their employees with the support they need. If you’re interested in learning more about the additional resources Peterson and Gagne discussed in the webinar, please contact our team.

About the Webinar

This presentation was part of Captive Resources’ Medical Stop Loss Webinar Series — regular installments of webinars to educate medical stop loss group captive members. The thoughts and opinions expressed in these webinars are those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect Captive Resources’ positions on any of the above topics.