HEALTH PLAN REPLACEMENT STRATEGY

Successfully implementing a full replacement consumer-driven health program requires observing key points. Patrick Travis, senior manager in Chicago with Deloitte Consulting L.L.P.'s Human Capital Practice, suggests the following:

• Set employee contributions and plan cost-sharing elements to achieve an overall cost-sharing percentage consistent with past practices, the marketplace and your corporate financial goals.

• Consider varying employee contributions and/or plan cost-sharing levels by salary bands to provide consistent financial incentives that are not onerous for any group.

• Maintain some level of choice within the program design. Employees often are wary of a program with no options.

• Create and communicate a compelling business case for why your organization is going full replacement.

• Sell management, starting with the "C-suite," on a sustained, multiyear healthy workplace and consumerism communication campaign. Have the top executive endorse and launch the complete changeover and its underlying strategy.

• In unionized situations, get union leaders involved early and focus on the health status improvement that arises from members being more responsible consumers of medical services.