1 1 Health Care Cost Campaign Employee Communication to Help Keep Health Care Affordable

2 Health Care Cost Campaign ●Developed by BCBS Association ● Research based on 18 focus groups around the country

3 Desired Results ●The Health Care Cost Campaign messages: –Show how employee choices affect health care costs for everyone –Explain how their choices can help keep health care affordable –May help improve plan utilization

4 Campaign Topics ●Be Informed! ●How Much Health Care Actually Costs ●Develop an Ongoing Relationship with Your Doctor ●Doctor’s Office versus ER Visits ●Generic Drugs ●Managing Chronic Disease ●Prevention/Safety

5 Employee Communications Be Informed Flyer PowerPoint Presentation

6 Posters and Print Ads

7 Paycheck Stuffers

8 Copy and Newsletter Articles Copy What’s for lunch? Choosing a balanced diet – watching what you eat and how much – can not only help you feel better but can also help prevent or manage diseases and illnesses that can decrease your quality of life and increase the cost of health care for all of us. Today, more than 60 percent of adults are overweight or obese. Health problems associated with being overweight or obese cost almost $120 billion in health care expenses each year, and are major contributors to the rising cost of health care. We all have a role to play in keeping health care affordable. Taking steps to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight will not only dramatically improve personal health, but will also help keep health care affordable for all Americans. So talk with your doctor to find a diet that’s right for you. For more information about healthy living, visit When it comes to the cost of health care, your choices make a difference. Newsletter Article Who really pays for health care? As employees, most of you are shielded from the heavy burden of the full cost of medical procedures, treatments and drugs. That’s because for every dollar you and your co-workers spend on health care, on average, our company spends five dollars. But the cost of advanced hospital care, the latest technologies and new medicines is rising higher than we may be able to afford. National health expenditures are expected to nearly double over the next ten years. The costs of the latest technologies, new medicines and advanced hospital care are at an all time high. Without a doubt, we will all share in the increased costs of better health care, so we all have a role to play in keeping it affordable. As consumers, we can discuss treatment options with our doctors. We can remember to ask if generic drugs are available when we need a prescription medicine. Not only will these choices help keep your own costs down, they’ll help keep health care affordable for everyone. Visit for more information about keeping health care affordable.

9 Health Care Fact Sheets

10 Using the Campaign ●BCBSTX provides 69 files on CD and at ●All artwork includes the BCBSTX logo ●We can add group’s logo for groups with 500 or more subscribers.

11 Integrate Messages Into Existing Communications ●Send out a series of s on health care cost topics ●Use articles in existing newsletters ●Include messages in benefit materials and new hire orientation ●Fact sheet information on intranet site

12 How BCBSTX Integrates Messages Into Existing Communications FEP Federal Facts NewsletterProvider Directories

13 Integrating Messages HMO Member NewsletterPharmacy Letter Stuffers

14 Integrating Messages ●BCBSTX.com Keeping Health Care Affordable

15 Create a Separate Communications Initiative ●Create an entirely unique communication campaign that stands by itself ●Print materials from PDFs provided ●Use messages electronically

16 New Messages ●Continue to add initiatives to the campaign as they are developed and provided the BCBS Association ●WalkingWorks Campaign –Posters, print ads and stuffers –Fact sheets, newsletters and copy –National PR push ●Health Care Dollars and Sense Week –Employee learning activities –Employee brochure PDF –Internet scavenger hunt –Dollars and Sense Week quiz

17 Getting Started ●Groups can use Messages Guide to develop a communication plan ●Cross-reference form numbers to find the files on the CD or at bcbstx.com  copy  Fact sheets  Flyers  Newsletter articles  Paycheck stuffers  Posters  Presentations  Print ads All documents print in color or black and white.

18 Files Are Ready to Use ●Print in color or black/white from PDFs ●Edit, cut and paste from Word or PowerPoint documents ●Only paycheck stuffers require two-sided printing and trimming

19 New Messages Will be… ●Provided to groups by BCBSTX Representatives and/or ●Available at bcbstx.com

20 BCBSA Messages Testing ●Opportunity to be considered for testing at no cost ●Group must use enough messages to be measurable ●Pre and post message testing ●Results shared with employer group ●Send request to your BCBSTX Representative

21 We Want Your Feedback Let us know: ●What works, what doesn’t ●Additional messages for the campaign ●How groups use messages ●Numbers of employees in the group ●Overall results Please inform your BCBSTX Representative

22 Questions?