Leveling up type 2 diabetes care while managing spend
Employers are confronting rising diabetes costs. New, outcomes-driven programs aim to improve health while reducing financial impact.
Type 2 diabetes is reshaping the economics of employee health, and the scale of that challenge is impossible to ignore. More than 40.1M Americans are living with the condition,1 which impairs the body's ability to regulate blood sugar through the interplay of genetics, hormonal factors, physical inactivity and diet.2 Among those who have diabetes, around 90 to 95% have type 2 diabetes.2 Long-term complications increase a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation due to nerve damage in extremities.2
The financial consequences are equally significant: The annual medical and economic cost of diabetes is $413B,3 with the average per-member cost reaching $1,045.4 For employers, these numbers represent growing pressure on workforce health and organizational cost. But they can play a vital role in managing these pressures while also supporting employees with diabetes.
Chronic conditions snapshot: Diabetes
Just as insulin helps manage spikes in blood sugar levels, employers can help manage the spike in diabetes by embracing a whole-person health approach. Learn more about the diabetes impact.
For instance, choosing a health plan like Surest, which includes a diabetes reversal program, can help educate members dealing with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. It also offers member support through its Clinical Advocacy team and provides upfront pricing and coverage choices for enhanced transparency of treatment options and costs. Through effective early management and preventive care, Surest members with type 2 diabetes had 13% fewer ER visits than non-Surest members, which translates into lower costs for employers and employees.5
Additionally, the UHC Hub® gives employers access to a platform where they can select from a portfolio of vendors — including lifestyle, specialized health and wellness vendors across a number of categories. And Dario®, which delivers personalized digital health programs to help manage diabetes, blood pressure, weight, posture and mental wellness, is available for purchase directly through UHC Store — a digital shop available exclusively to UnitedHealthcare members via the UnitedHealthcare® app and myuhc.com® — may help ensure employees navigating type 2 diabetes feel supported throughout their journey.
The Level2® program from UnitedHealthcare is another way employers can offer enhanced support. Level2 is a clinical model, compatible with existing UnitedHealthcare health plans, built to change the cost trajectory of type 2 diabetes by giving members the tools, guidance and care they need to work toward improving their condition — while giving employers the financial confidence to act.
Here’s how Level2 works:
- After joining, program participants receive a prescribed continuous glucose monitor (CGM) at no cost to help monitor their glucose levels.
- Data from the CGM informs Level2 provider-led care teams of physicians, nurses, dietitians and coaches, who offer 1-on-1 personalized guidance.
- Personalized care and support aim to help program participants form healthier habits, with the goal of lowering their average blood glucose, improving their condition and even pursuing remission as defined by the American Diabetes Association.
Employers as a result can benefit from reduced costs and a healthier, more productive workforce. Plus, because the costs and financial risk associated with adding a new program can be a barrier for employers, Level2 aims to reduce that risk and assure employers of the program’s value by reconciling 100% of program fees against actual clinical outcomes and actual medical and pharmacy claims.
Additionally, considering the factors that can invite type 2 diabetes, Level2 team is expanding program capabilities to proactively help employees who are living with prediabetes or extra weight as these can be precursors to a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
Proof is greater than promises with Level2
Hear how one company offered Level2 to its employees and saw a 97% activation of the program among its type 2 diabetic employees, with 91% of those employees connecting to their CGM, leading to a 51% decrease in insulin usage among type 2 diabetic employees engaged in the Level2 program.
And for a different, larger UnitedHealthcare client,6 the value of adding this program was evident in just one year’s worth of data:
- 12.8% per member, per month realized claims savings vs. projected cost trend for 2024 plan year, outperforming guaranteed total cost of care savings target
- 0.73 reduction in average glucose management indicator (GMI) among Level2 participants with a lab A1C within 6 months of joining, marking significant clinical improvement
- 20% lower inpatient admissions, which can contribute to lower costs and reduced health complications that can be associated with a hospital stay
- 85 Net Promoter Score℠, which measures the likelihood of a participant recommending a company, product, program or service, where a score of 50 to 70 is considered good and a score of 70 or above is considered exceptional
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