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A12 HEALTH
Saturday 15 January 2022

Associated Press
Insurers, employers start helping more

with chronic disease

By TOM MURPHY diets. Some plans also are and keep patients happy.
AP Health Writer waiving or reducing fees for But they require frequent
Vanessa Akinniyi was stuck doctor visits, eye and foot education. And some think
in denial about diabetes exams and supplies like in- doctor's offices not insurers
until a care manager from sulin pumps. They aim to should be running them.
her health insurer coaxed encourage people to get "It's about relationships. ...
her out. The Jacksonville, regular care so they don't People don't trust health
Florida, resident didn't want need an expensive hospi- plans or particularly want a
to start insulin. All the medi- tal stay when their untreat- call from their insurer," said
cines she tried made her ed condition grows worse. Elizabeth Mitchell, CEO
sick. But Florida Blue care "Everybody wins if the pa- of the Purchaser Business
manager Miriam Bercier tient is healthier," said Dr. Group on Health, a non-
chipped away with phone Sameer Amin, chief medi- profit coalition that works
check-ins. The nurse fed cal officer for the health in- with large employers.
Akinniyi information about surer Oscar, which is selling Akinniyi had no problems
her condition and talked a new plan specifically for trusting Florida Blue. The
about potential problems people with diabetes in in- 61-year-old started talking
she could run into like vi- dividual insurance markets to Bercier about a year
sion loss. "She cared, and this year. ago, after Akinniyi's di-
I felt that," Akinniyi said. Programs that attempt to agnosis prompted the in-
"That made me start car- help people with chronic surer's care management
ing more." Insurers and health problems can vary team to reach out.
employers are taking a re- widely and have been The care manager helped
newed interest in programs around for years. They're her figure out how to exer-
like these that help people gaining traction again in cise more, track what she
deal with chronic and po- individual and employer- eats and change her diet
tentially expensive health sponsored coverage as bill- to cut sugars and starches.
problems. payers focus more on help- Akinniyi also started taking
They are identifying pa- ing patients get regular medication regularly.
tients with diabetes or high care instead of hiking costs "I just feel different now,"
blood pressure and con- like deductibles, which can she said. "I have energy. I
necting them with care keep people out of the look at myself different be-
managers who can answer health care system entirely. cause I came out of those
questions about medicine Experts say these programs dark days of denial about
or help them change their can cut health care costs diabetes."
Florida Blue started its dia-
betes program in 2014
and offers it to customers
enrolled in individual insur-
ance coverage.
Oscar began selling its di-
abetes-specific plan on in-
dividual markets in several
states for 2022 and may
consider adding plans for
other chronic health prob-
lems. q