Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama has vowed that he will lower the country's healthcare costs enough to "bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family." Obama has also promised that his health plan will be in place "by the end of my first term as president of the United States." But whether he can deliver is a matter of dispute among health analysts and economists.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law a ban against health insurance companies rewarding employees with bonuses for canceling or limiting a patient's coverage. The law is part of efforts to curtail the practice that the industry has defended as a little-used guard against fraud that helps control costs. Critics contend that insurers use confusing applications for individual policies to trap people into making mistakes that can later be used against them. When a policyholder gets sick, insurers scour old medical records looking for an undisclosed condition or symptom to use to justify cancellation, the critics say.
Large employers in Wisconsin expect their healthcare costs to increase 3.7% in 2008, a rate lower than medical inflation and lower than the 6.1% national average, according to an analysis by benefits consulting firm Towers Perrin. Healthcare costs in Wisconsin haven't risen at a lower rate than medical inflation in the past decade, said Towers Perrin representatives. Towers Perrin attributed the recent gains to an array of moves, such as higher deductibles to company clinics and wellness programs that encourage people to eat better, exercise more, not smoke, and take other steps to remain healthy.
A recommendation presented to Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland would restructure the state's health-insurance landscape by requiring all residents to buy at least a basic benefit plan and mandate insurance companies to offer coverage to anybody who applies. The recommendation also includes a mandate for employers that don't offer health coverage to allow workers to buy coverage using pre-tax dollars, a goal to enroll more Ohioans in Medicaid, and a policy to provide subsidies for people who can't afford coverage. The goal of the plan is to cover 500,000 Ohio residents by 2011. The plan was presented by a healthcare task force established by Strickland in 2007.
Jay Nixon, the likely Democratic nominee for governor of Missouri, has unveiled a nearly $1 billion plan to expand healthcare for low-income Missourians and make low-cost health insurance available for every child in the state. Nixon said the changes would restore Medicaid services cut three years ago, help bring down the cost of health insurance and medical care, and bring back $700 million in federal funds to Missouri each year. Critics of the plan suggest that the state cannot afford the estimated $265 million needed to generate the federal matching money.
Sixty nurses in 60 days. Ambitious? Yes. Doable? For Midland (TX) Memorial, absolutely. "In 2007 we hired a recruiting firm," says Robert Dent, vice president of nursing and chief nursing officer for Midland. "We spent $100,000 and recruited just five nurses. After about a year only three of them actually started working here." When the contract renewal time with the firm came around, Dent did some research and decided that Midland could find a way to do better.
The facility needed 60 nurses and based on the research of the market area, Dent believed they could do it in 60 days.
"It was quite ambitious," says Marcy Madrid, manager of public and media relations. "When we were first presented with this we were spending that much money and we were happy if we got five recruitments out of it. His plan included a lot more nurses in a lot shorter time. And, we'd never done it before, but Bob's department was confident that there were great people in the community and surrounding communities. It was all just a matter of getting the word out there."
The initiative included TV, radio, print, and outdoor, with a focus on newspapers. "Because we were dealing with recruiting, the newspaper was an important medium to hit since it's where people go to look for jobs," says Madrid.
The campaign's main message was "Midland Memorial, your home for healthcare" and the spots featured Midland employees. "We used our own people," says Madrid. "We usually don't based on turnover, but because this was a specialized campaign that was really about the people we chose to use our people in it. Midland has a great family atmosphere the best way to convey that was featuring the people who believe in that and work in that and think that everyday."
At the end of the 60 days, Midland had recruited more than 60 nurses. Of course, once they got them there they knew they needed to keep them happy as well. "We have a lot of systems in place to help with retention. New employees aren't just thrown into the fire. They know what they're getting in to," says Madrid.
Not only did this campaign help meet the organization's nursing needs but, according to Madrid, featuring current employees also helped to reinstate a sense of internal pride. As for embarking on this sort of a campaign again, she said, "This really was meant to be a one time rally thing. We're fully staffed and we believe we were able to recruit people who believe in our mission."
Kandace McLaughlin is an editor with HealthLeaders magazine. Send her Campaign Spotlight ideas at kmclaughlin@healthleadersmedia.com If you are a marketer submitting a campaign on behalf of your facility or client, please ensure you have permission before doing so.