The Impact of the Opioid Crisis & The Big Focus on Financial Wellness

The first guest is Robin Gelburd, president of FAIR Health. The U.S. is in the midst of an epidemic of abuse of opioids, including both prescription painkillers and heroin. Unlike previous opioid abuse epidemics, this one is disproportionately affecting white, middle-class people in non-urban settings, including those with private health insurance. Drawing on its database of over 21 billion privately billed health care claims, FAIR Health has recently released two white papers on the crisis. The first examines the scope of the epidemic among the privately insured; the second reveals the specifics of services and costs associated with opioid abuse and dependence diagnoses, including both professional charges and allowed amounts. FAIR Health’s investigation demonstrates the growing impact of the opioid crisis not only on patients but on insurers, employers, providers and all other health care stakeholders.

The second guest on the program is Denise Winston, financial wellness specialist and founder of Money Starts Here, who will be discussing why financial wellness is the next big focus for employers. Most of us are no strangers to financial worries, especially in today's economy. In the workplace, however, there's a growing concern that needs addressing: the impact of financially stressed employees on the workplace. The harsh reality is that the majority of working Americans are already living paycheck to paycheck, and it's getting worse. Unfortunately, due to the ACA, many employers have seen huge increases in their health care premiums and have no other option except to shift more of those health care costs onto their already financially stressed employees. In this interview, Denise and Doug will take a look what monetary worries will do to an employee's quality of life and how it impacts a company's bottom line.