A growing number of patients are surviving a cancer diagnosis, meaning employers must be prepared to offer a workplace that supports their specific needs.
To assist with that process, the Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) has released a guide for employer benefits and human resources professionals that highlights the key challenges and opportunities in meeting the needs of cancer survivors.
Estimates suggest there will be 26.1 million cancer survivors living in the U.S. by 2040, an increase of more than 50% compared to 2019, the NEBGH said in an announcement.
48 pages. "[A] cancer diagnosis and treatment together comprise just one part of the patient journey. What happens when people move beyond active treatment to survivorship? ... [This guide] is designed to provide you with information on the challenges and opportunities associated with cancer survivorship and practical guidance on creating a workplace that supports people living with cancer and is productive for all."
Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH) released a new guide for employers on cancer survivorship Wednesday morning.
The free guide was created in collaboration with CancerCare to offer employers' HR departments "practical guidance on creating a workplace that supports people living with cancer and is productive for all."
The guide covers challenges that cancer survivors may face and how employers can support them. It also includes information on support organizations, employment laws and agencies, and recommendation checklists for employers.
payment reform. Research by the Northeast Business Group on Health found that in 2015, employers spent $125 million on cancer care, and since then, cancer therapy costs have increased substantially with greater use of immunotherapy and the introduction of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies that can easily cost half a million dollars for treatment.
The federal government is taking the lead with the Oncology Care Model, which will transition into Oncology Care First in 2022 after a 1-year extension due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, but commercial payers are also testing payment reform models.
Did you know that nearly 17% of your employees may be caregivers? According to an AARP and the Northeast Business Group on Health, in the U.S. today, one in six employees is a caregiver for a relative or friend and spends, on average, 20 hours a week caring for a loved one. And it's safe to say (given demographic trends) that the number of employees acting as caregivers will only grow.
About 20% of companies offered paid caregiver leave last year, according to data from WorldatWork, a nonprofit HR resource organization. Even before the outbreak of the pandemic, employers were increasingly recognizing that they need to provide caregiver benefits. A Northeast Business Group on Health survey of employers found that 79% of respondents said caregiving will be an increasingly important issue over the next five years.
Leading-edge employers are using best practices to support employees with cancer. By doing so, these organizations are serving as role models that others may want to follow.
Many of these best practices are described in a guide from Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH), an employer-led coalition. Delivering Value in Cancer Care: The Employer Perspective features case studies and examples of employer initiatives to support employees and family members with cancer. It also gives advice on how HR leaders can engage with vendors and health plans to make employees aware of the cancer-related benefits and services available to them, such as:
The guide comes as Covid-19 disrupts many traditional on-site workplace weight-management and wellness programs. Obesity increasingly affects U.S. adults and is also costly to employers, the group noted. Nearly half of all U.S. adults are projected to be classified as obese by 2030, according to some estimates. And, taking into account medical costs as well as lost productivity, disability and workers' compensation, and absenteeism, obesity costs U.S. employers more than $73 billion annually.
Technology provides unique opportunities to support the mental health of your workplace in a scalable, cost-effective way. If you’re interested in learning more about how digital mental health tools can support your employees, see our Employer’s Guide to Digital Tools and Solutions for Mental Health, jointly developed by One Mind PsyberGuide and the Northeast Business Group on Health. The guide contains in-depth reviews of 27 different platforms for workplace mental health to allow employers to compare platforms and start to decide the best fit to meet employee needs.