Complex care: Comprehensive solutions for employee caregivers help lower medical plan costs

Traditionally, benefits for employee caregivers were thought of as backup child care and elder care. What we now know is that the needs of a family can range from support for activities of daily living to the more extensive needs of chronic and complex health conditions.

We also know that the No. 1 driver of medical plan costs is complex care. More than a quarter of health care costs — $455 billion — are associated with four complex condition categories: heart disease, musculoskeletal, cancer, and kidney disease (Complex, costly conditions: A strategic imperative for payers and employers by Opportun, 2020). The data shows that the caregiver often delays their own health needs when attending to a loved one with a complex condition.

When considering caregiving benefits, it is important to provide the full range of care needs for your employees and their families. lt not only supports the needs of the family but will also have a positive business impact on rising medical costs.

The three categories of care needs: daily, chronic, and complex

Frequently, when people talk about “caregiving,” they are referring to daily needs or transitional needs. Daily needs are often just the beginning — the first step on a longer, evolving care journey.

In fact, the caregiving categories that most commonly affect employee retention, medical costs, leave and productivity are chronic and complex care. Cancer alone makes up 12% of medical costs for employers.

At Grayce, we define “caregiving” as caring for a loved one or oneself across multiple areas: medical, functional, social, financial, and legal. It’s all family care. 

That’s why we spend time understanding the broad needs of a family, short term and longer term, including coordination with their health care providers to manage the “whole” person, the cost of their medical care, and support for the family.

Grayce built caregiver employee benefits to meet the full spectrum of caregiving needs. We support families not just at but throughout every step of their care journey. Regardless of the type of care — daily support or more-involved, longer-term, and costly caregiving matters — our experts are there to address employee caregivers’ changing needs.

Importance of addressing the full range of family care needs

Demand is growing for caregiving support. Yet chronic and complex care needs extend well beyond what is provided or covered by most employers’ medical plans. The result? Employees prioritize care for their loved ones and deprioritize care for themselves. Then, medical costs rise.

Grayce’s model is unique in offering complex care solutions. We address employers’ most costly challenges, like cancer, while delivering a rich tech experience to complement services for the daily needs of a broader employee population. 

Offering comprehensive family care:

• Improves retention by helping employees better balance their work and family responsibilities, reducing the likelihood of turnover.
• Reduces medical costs and helps avoid ER visits for the most complex care situations, ultimately benefiting your organization’s bottom line.
• Increases productivity by creating an atmosphere where employees feel supported in their caregiving roles and are more likely to be engaged at work, contributing to the success of your organization.
• Enhances your employer brand. Offering a comprehensive family care solution enables your organization to demonstrate itself as a leader in supporting employee caregivers, attracting top talent and fostering a positive workplace culture.

Read the 2024 Grayce Economic Impact and Value Report

Provide full support with Grayce

With the addition of a comprehensive family care solution like Grayce, you can provide full support and complement your medical benefits to help improve employee caregivers’ lives. In fact, in a client study we found 77% of all employees — users and nonusers — would recommend their employer because of access to Grayce. 

Grayce’s distinct model is rooted in rich technology and knowledgeable, compassionate experts. If you’re interested in talking about the caregiving solutions Grayce offers as your next benefit, please reach out.