The introduction of biologics to benefits plans is a double-edged sword: while biologics can significantly increase health outcomes for employees, they can also significantly increase costs for plan sponsors.
But understanding how biologics affect your plan—and determining whether they help or hinder you—is about more than just basic costs.
Plan sponsors can’t always look at their benefits in isolation, says Suzanne Lepage, private health plan strategist with Suzanne Lepage Consulting. “What you may see as an additional cost on your drug plan could have a significant impact on your disability plan.” She points out that some biologics enable employees to cure their disability or improve their health to the point where they can actively return to work.
“We have to move away from silos and ensure that we’re looking at the whole breadth of a benefits plan—disability, health, drugs—and understand the total impact to the plan sponsor.”
Watch the video to find out what else Lepage had to say on biologics and their effect on benefits plans.