By Kurt Cegielski, Chief Commercial Officer
Recently, my colleagues and I flew out to Portland, OR to attend America's Health Insurance Plans’ (AHIP) annual conference which gathered industry leaders, experts, and stakeholders across health care and insurance. We were privileged to hear from speakers like Former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chair and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, Greg Adams, and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Roz Brewer, and after reflecting on the conference, assembled the following “ABCs” of our most important takeaways.
ACCESS—why it’s critical we continue to remove barriers to health care:
When nearly 130 million Americans live in places with less than one mental health care provider per 30,000 people, it’s obvious there is significant work left to address the health disparities that exist in our country today. One of the biggest takeaways from the conference was the crucial role that access to care, healthy foods, stable housing, and education play in a person’s health outcomes. All of these social determinants of health were discussed at the conference and many speakers highlighted the importance of collaboration between insurance providers, health care organizations, and community partners to address access issues and promote health equity.
One way MOBE is working to expand access to care is through our Spanish-speaking Guides and Pharmacists who are able to answer questions and help participants access virtual care in their native language.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH—and the importance of interconnected care:
For too long, our country has relied on a health system that places a priority on physical health and well-being. It’s well past time that physical and behavioral health be integrated to help address our nation’s mental health crisis and improve our worsening physical outcomes. Many of the speakers at this year’s AHIP conference touched on the interrelated nature of physical and behavioral health and how we need to address both systematically.
At MOBE, we’re big believers that physical and behavioral health are connected, which is why our health Guides ask participants questions about their movement, nutrition, sleep, and stress to identify the source of their health issues and provide recommendations based on a whole-person approach to care. As a result, 60% of our participants experienced improved emotional well-being, 73% lost or maintained weight, and 57% reported an increase in energy.
CUSTOM CARE CUTS COSTS—how tailored, virtual care can reduce spend:
As insurance providers look to customized digital health solutions, personalized telemedicine, and artificial intelligence to enhance customer experience and improve health outcomes, they’re also relying on it as a way to reduce costs. Several conference sessions focused on how these tools have and will continue to help people make informed decisions about their health and how one-to-one guidance can encourage the use of preventive care.
MOBE was founded on this principle and continues to be able to add value for our clients by using advanced analytics and machine learning to identify high utilizers of health care who aren’t experiencing improved outcomes. By finding and focusing on this population, we’ve been able to save our health plan clients an average of 7.5% in claims costs.
As an important platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and forward-thinking strategy, the 2023 AHIP conference shed light on the evolving landscape of health care and showcased many solutions to the significant challenges faced by our industry. By embracing these takeaways, we’ll be able to continue to navigate the shifting landscape, using innovation to achieve true value and drive positive health outcomes for all.
