3 ways Wellmark supports your employees with diabetes

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Diabetes — let’s talk about how this disease is affecting both your employees and business in more ways than one.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 38 million people in the United States currently have one of the three types of diabetes and 1 in 4 don't even know they have the disease. With these numbers, it's inevitable that a portion of your employees have either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes.

Diabetes: The breakdown of workplace costs

According to the American Diabetes Association^®, diabetics experience medical costs twice as high as those living without the disease. And, when your employees are facing high costs — so are you. Here's how:

• $3.3 billion increase in absenteeism
• $26.9 billion in reduced workplace productivity
• $37.5 billion in inability to work as a result of the disease (e.g. disability)
• $19.9 billion in lost productivity due to early mortality

Resources to help employees prevent and manage diabetes

Luckily, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield is here to help provide the resources you need to improve employee health while managing health care costs — for both your business and employees.

Wellmark's Case Management Program

Employees who don’t receive adequate support for unmanaged chronic conditions increase health care utilization and cost, which impacts your bottom line. Wellmark's Case Management Program connects your highest-risk employees with a team of specially trained health care professionals to assist with their unique whole health needs. The program focuses on providing employees with a personalized care plan to help them meet their health care goals.

Diabetes Prevention and Management Programs

If diabetes is becoming a top claim expense for your organization, it may be time to turn to prevention and management programs. Wellmark has partnered with Teladoc^® Health to offer two buy-up programs to large, self-funded groups. The Diabetes Prevention Program helps employees improve habits to help lower their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, and the Diabetes Management Program simplifies diabetes management with unlimited testing strips, a cellular-connected blood glucose meter, expert coaching, support and evidence-based health challenges designed to motivate employees and improve their health. To find out if either of these programs make sense for your organization, reach out to your authorized Wellmark representative.

Preventive care

Encourage your employees to schedule their age-appropriate preventive exams today. At their annual wellness exam, your employee's primary care provider will be more likely to catch the early signs of diabetes and recommend lifestyle changes to prevent or treat it. They can easily find an in-network doctor with the when they register for their myWellmark account.

Questions about resources or how Wellmark can help your organization prevent or manage diabetes? Contact your authorized Wellmark account representative, or email us at blueatwork@wellmark.com.