In the meantime, the need to soften the pain of soaring health-care costs remains urgent. Whether health-management programs will truly ease that pain is one of the most pressing benefits questions today.

Ilan Mochari is a freelance writer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Immediate-yield Generators
Five Areas to Target For Quick Health-Care Savings.

1. Doctor-Visit Guidelines:
Provide employees with guidelines on when to see a doctor. By steering employees to doctors when they should go, you could head off more serious problems later. Encourage regular checkups to avoid the neglect that often leads to the enormous future expense of surgical procedures.

2. Self-Efficacy:
Get your employees to think positively about themselves and taking charge of their own health. If employees start monitoring their own health, they may begin to lead lifestyles that offer the fiscal advantages of preventive medicine.

3. High-Risk Employees:
If an employer can reach employees who are at heightened risk of a heart attack or lung cancer in the first year of a program, the cost savings will be immediate.

4. Disease Management:
Target employees with chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart failure, asthma, and emphysema. Early intervention minimizes surgeries and hospitalizations.

5. The First Year Of Life:
The medical intervention necessary for low-birthweight babies averages $500,000. Good prenatal programs can help prevent that.

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