Skip Navigation
Better Together | Risk Strategies to Join Brown & Brown  Learn More
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact Us
Risk Strategies Logo
  • Industries

    • Agriculture
    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
    • Dental
    • Education
    • Entertainment
    • Financial Services
    • Fine Art
    • Healthcare
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
    • Public Sector
    • Real Estate
    • Relocation
    • Transportation
    • Waste & Recycling
    • Wineries
  • Solutions

      • Captives
      • Casualty
      • Cyber
      • Environmental
      • International
      • Executive Risk Solutions
      • Property
      • Surety
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Advisory Services
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
      • Medicare
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Retirement Plan Services
      • Executive Benefits
      • Life Insurance
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Flood
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Collector & Exotic Car
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Travel Medical & Trip Insurance
      • Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Life Insurance
      • Specialty Coverages
      • Private Client Risk Resource Center
    • Reinsurance
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
      • Pro Safety Training Courses
      • Workers’ Comp: Premium Review & Recovery
  • Consulting

    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy Consulting
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights

    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
    • Private Client Resources
    • Webinars
  • Company

    • About Us
    • Annual Report
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
  • Join Us
    • Careers
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Architects & Engineers
    • Aviation
      • Aviation Business Insurance - Manned Risk
      • Non-Owned Aviation
      • Unmanned Aerial System and Drones
    • Cannabis
    • Construction
      • Alternative Solutions
      • Financing & Pre-Construction
      • Insurance Solutions
      • Risk Management
      • Surety
    • Dental
      • Insurance for Dental Professionals
      • Dental Malpractice Insurance
      • BOP Insurance - Dental Practices & DSOs
      • Dental School Graduates
      • Dental Associates & Hygienists
      • Dental Practice Owners
      • Dental Service Organizations (DSOs)
    • Education
      • Employee Benefits for Education
      • Property, Casualty & Liability for Education
      • Student Health & Wellness
        • Student Health Brokerage and Consulting
        • Student Health Plan Administration
        • Student Health Insurance Plans
        • Solutions for Student Athletes
        • Student Health & Wellness Tools
        • Special Risk Insurance
    • Entertainment
      • Film & Television
      • Advertising Production Wrap Ups
      • Advertising/PR
      • Event Cancellation & Non-Appearance
      • Music & Touring
      • Theatrical Production & Live Performance 
      • Venue Insurance
    • Financial Services
      • Asset Managers
      • Banks & Non-Bank Lending
      • Collections
      • Consumer Financial Services
      • Financial Tech
      • Insurance Companies
    • Fine Art
      • Dealers and Auction Houses
        • Galleries
        • Private Art Dealers
      • Collections
        • Private Collectors
        • Coins, Paper Money & Numismatics Collections
        • Gold, Bullion & Precious Metal Collections
      • Artists
      • Museums and Foundations
        • Museums
      • Fine Art Packers / Shippers / Warehouses
    • Healthcare
      • Employee Benefits - Healthcare
      • Managed Care / Stop Loss
      • Medical Malpractice
      • Property & Casualty - Healthcare
      • Reinsurance
    • Law Firms
    • Marine & Yacht
      • Yacht Insurance For Individuals
        • Mega Yachts
        • Cruiser Insurance - Jackline
        • One-Design Insurance Program
        • Sailors Health Insurance Program
        • US Sailing Insurance Solutions
      • Commercial Marine Insurance
        • Aquaculture
        • Cargo & Transit Insurance Solutions
        • Crew Medical Insurance
        • Hull & Machinery
        • Marine Claims Service
        • Marine Construction
        • Marine Liability
        • Ports & Terminals
        • Protection & Indemnity
        • Recreational Marine Businesses
        • Sailing Organizations – Burgee Program
    • Nonprofit & Human Services
    • Private Equity
      • Crypto Companies
    • Public Sector
      • Public Safety Organizations & Municipalities
    • Real Estate
      • Commercial
      • Community Associations
      • Hospitality
      • Residential / Habitational
      • REITs
      • Retail
      • Specialty Programs
    • Relocation
      • Domestic Household Goods
      • Expat Renters & Living Insurance
      • Relocation Claims Service
      • International Household Goods
      • Supplemental Movers Coverage
      • Temporary Living Insurance
      • Vacant Home
    • Transportation
      • Business Auto Insurance
      • Last Mile Delivery
      • While Under Dispatch Insurance
      • Forwarding & Brokering
      • Workers' Compensation
    • Waste & Recycling
    • Wineries
  • Solutions
    • Commercial Insurance
      • Captives
      • Casualty
        • Analytics
        • Auto Liability & Physical Damage
        • Captives & Alternative Risk Financing
        • Claims Advocacy & Loss Control
        • Excess Liability
        • General Liability
        • Product Recall
        • Workers' Compensation
      • Cyber
        • Cyber Resolute
        • Cyber Risk Assessment and Analytics
        • Cyber Risk Response & Claims Advocacy
        • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
        • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Environmental
        • Contractors Pollution Liability
        • Environmental Excess
        • Environmental Liability Transfer
        • Environmental Liability - Healthcare
        • Environmental Liability - Higher Education
        • Pollution Legal Liability
        • Environmental Liability - Private Equity
        • Professional Environmental Liability Insurance
        • Real Estate Development
        • Remediation Cost Cap
        • Secured Creditor Protection for Lenders
        • Underground Storage Tanks
      • International
      • Executive Risk Solutions
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Entertainment
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Financial Institutions
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Healthcare
        • Executive Risk Solutions - Real Estate
      • Property
        • Builder's Risk
        • Property Claims Services
        • Inland Transit and Ocean Cargo
        • Natural Hazard Catastrophe Modeling
        • Political Violence and Terrorism
        • Property Damage & Business Interruptions Valuations
        • Property Loss Prevention and Control
      • Surety
    • Employee Benefits
      • Employee Benefits Overview
      • Benefit Administration and Technology
      • Benefits Compliance Support
      • Data & Analytics
      • Human Capital Advisory Services
      • International Benefits
      • Absence Management & Ancillary Programs
      • Voluntary & Lifestyle Benefits
      • Medicare
    • Financial & Wealth
      • Financial & Wealth Overview
      • Retirement Plan Services
      • Executive Benefits
      • Life Insurance
    • Private Client Services
      • Private Client Services Overview
      • Homeowners
      • Flood
      • Collections
      • Umbrella & Excess Liability
      • Auto
      • Collector & Exotic Car
      • Boat & Yacht
      • Travel Medical & Trip Insurance
      • Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Family Office
      • Cyber Insurance - Individuals
      • Life Insurance
      • Specialty Coverages
      • Private Client Risk Resource Center
    • Reinsurance
    • Risk Management Services
      • Risk Management Services Overview
      • Analytics
      • Claims Management & Advocacy
      • Loss Control
      • Safety Consulting Services
      • Pro Safety Training Courses
      • Workers’ Comp: Premium Review & Recovery
  • Consulting
    • Consulting Overview
    • Actuarial Services
    • Healthcare Claim Audit Services
    • Health and Welfare
    • Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Pharmacy Consulting
    • Retirement Benefits
  • News and Insights
    • All Insights
    • Blog
    • Emergency Resource Centers
      • Cybersecurity
      • Earthquake
      • Hurricane
      • Pandemic
      • Riot & Civil Unrest
      • Severe Storms
      • Violence & Active Shooter
      • Wildfire
      • Winter Weather
    • Employee Benefits Compliance Center
    • Events
    • Media Coverage
    • State of the Market Reports
    • Press Releases
    • Private Client Resources
    • Webinars
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Annual Report
    • Careers
    • Culture and Values
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • BeHEARD Series
      • DE&I Structure
      • Employee Resource Groups
    • Environmental, Social, & Governance
    • General Terms of Business
    • Leaders
    • Local Expertise
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Recognition & Awards
    • Risk Strategies Foundation
    • Transparency and Disclosures
      • General Terms of Business
      • Conflict of Interest Policy
      • Compensation Disclosure
      • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Join Us
    • Careers
      • Benefits & Wellness
      • Investing in Growth & Leadership
      • Life at Risk Strategies
      • Next Steps
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Partnership Benefits
      • Why Join Us?
      • Onboarding & Integration
  • Careers
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact Us

You are about to leave Risk Strategies website and view the content of an external website.

You are leaving risk-strategies.com

By accessing this link, you will be leaving Risk Strategies website and entering a website hosted by another party. Please be advised that you will no longer be subject to, or under the protection of, the privacy and security policies of Risk Strategies website. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy and security policies of the site you are entering, which may be different than those of Risk Strategies.

OK
  • News and Insights
  • Blog
Subscribe

Subscribe via Email

  • News and Insights
  • Blog
June 26, 2018

Get Smarter on Health Care costs

Employee Benefits
3 min read
John Krantz
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Get Smarter on Health Care costs
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)
  • LinkedIn
  • Email

Since the 1970’s, we’ve experimented with HMOs, PPOs, the Affordable Care Act, with the goal of controlling premium costs. Some measures have helped a bit, but on the whole, it’s not working.

So, who’s at fault? Pretty much everyone. Doctors are focused on patient health and, until recently, have not been particularly focused on the costs. Employers respectful of privacy and sensitive to personal health information, have largely taken a laissez faire approach with employee health issues and decisions, but also don’t want to pay more for insurance when employees don’t take care of themselves. Pharmaceutical companies want to improve drug efficacy, and also grow profit. Similarly, hospitals need expensive diagnostic machines to stay competitive while assuming care responsibilities for all patients regardless of their ability to pay, shifting cost to those will full coverage. 

In response, there’s been a push for doctors to be more cost conscience, employers to pay for and incent wellness programs, and for drug manufactures to provide programs that help with costs.  The push for transparency and greater scrutiny around hospital pricing methodologies has increased.  Despite these actions, costs still go up and up and insurance premiums keep on climbing.

If these and other actions are not affecting costs, what will? Perhaps a truly smarter approach.

Did you know that about 30 percent of diagnoses are wrong? Statistically speaking, you know someone that has had a diagnostic error. A bad diagnosis costs the patient and the system gobs of money, all of it going in the wrong direction; more tests, new prescriptions next to unused prescriptions in the medicine cabinet, exploratory surgeries followed by more surgeries.

There are millions of words written in medical journals each month. It would be humanly impossible to read all of that material just to keep up with the latest findings and best practice treatment options for any given condition. A new breed of artificial intelligence (AI) software systems such as IBM’s Watson - could “read” all medical journals in seconds. It may be artificial, but it is not un-intelligent.

But can an employer hire Watson or a similar AI system that rarely makes errors on the diagnosis or treatment plan anytime you feel sick or suffer an injury? Not yet. So, until Dr. Watson takes up widespread residence, what are patients, employers, and other healthcare stakeholders to do? Perhaps an approach that helps service users be smarter and think harder is in order?

At a minimum, invest in a low cost telephone or web based doctor interaction capability to provide a good first or second opinion for little to no costs. Some plans already provide these types of offerings. When patients ask for a second opinion, the original physicians often stay, but the course of treatment changes 80 percent of the time. What about requiring a second opinion on any medical expense of $3,000 or more?

Empower employees to be better healthcare consumers - provide tools and services that ensure they are utilizing the right medical tests and procedures. Second opinions have value beyond the dollars saved.  They not only save money, more importantly, they can save lives.

Until the AI revolution arrives, delivering better care and treatment at the right time, in the right setting and at the right cost will help drive down costs and drive out inefficiencies. The best approach to cost control is to encourage a smarter approach to health care buying and utilization – from plan design to patient support.

The contents of this article are for general informational purposes only and Risk Strategies Company makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of any information contained herein. Any recommendations contained herein are intended to provide insight based on currently available information for consideration and should be vetted against applicable legal and business needs before application to a specific client. 

Related Posts

See all posts

Employee Benefits
9 min read
July 01, 2025

ACA Free Preventive Care Mandate Upheld by Supreme Court

Summary: The United States Supreme Court released a highly anticipated and critical ruling on …
Read article
Employee Benefits
4 min read
June 30, 2025

Supreme Court Rules ADA Protections Do Not Apply to Retirees

Summary: The United States Supreme Court issued a decision on June 20, 2025 (Stanley v. City of …
Read article
Employee Benefits
8 min read
June 20, 2025

Tennessee Law Prohibiting Transgender Care for Minors Upheld by Supreme Court

Summary: The United States Supreme Court released a closely-watched and high-profile ruling on …
Read article
Risk Strategies Logo
  • Report a Claim
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Consumer Health Data Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility
  • Health Plan Transparency Compliance
  • Accessibility
  • Cookie Policy
  • Health Plan Transparency Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
©2025 Risk Strategies. All rights reserved.

Connect with Us

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • Instagram
  • Facebook