Cost of Diabetes at Work: How Can I Lower My Team’s Diabetes Care Cost?

One of the most significant issues facing people with diabetes is the affordability of medicine and the healthcare they need to manage their diabetes. For example, just look at the skyrocketing cost of insulin in the U.S. today.

As an employer of people with diabetes, it’s important to make sure that your team has the resources they need to manage their diabetes properly. When it comes to helping your employees with diabetes reduce the amount of money they spend on their diabetes care costs, there is a lot more you can do than you may have initially thought.

Here are a few ways you can help keep your employees healthier and help them manage their diabetes correctly so that they can stay healthy and avoid taking unnecessary trips to the doctor outside their scheduled visits.

Speak With Your Employees Who Have Diabetes and Ask What They Need

First and foremost, it’s essential to listen to your employees who have diabetes and discuss what it is they need to be safe and secure while in the office or out in the field. By creating an environment that encourages an open discussion, you’ll allow your employees to speak up and create a healthier workplace.

If you’re a manager or owner that has no experience with diabetes—whether for yourself or a family member or friend—you may not know what exactly diabetes management entails. That’s why it’s essential to be willing to listen and learn so that you can understand how you can assist them in their management and keep your employees healthy.

As always, please follow all HIPAA rules and regulations around medical condition disclosures for your industry.

Offer Diabetes Management Solutions Through Healthcare

Perhaps the most important question you should be asking your employees about the cost of diabetes is how their healthcare options are addressing their diabetes. Businesses should be providing healthcare options that are inclusive of all their employees. Speaking and working with your employees who have diabetes about the current healthcare options available to them, and what else they need to have a stress-free, healthy day at work is something every employer should be regularly doing.

Many great options are now available with the rise in digital medicine, so if you haven’t take a hard look at your healthcare solutions for employees in a while, the time is now. Many of these solutions are also much more affordable and will save both you and your employees money.

Create Opportunities For Healthy Life Management While in the Office

In addition to having solutions that contribute to diabetes management, your employees should also have access to healthy life management options. While having the ability to get out and go for walks outside, access to healthy snacks, and a sufficient work-life balance is essential for all employees, it’s especially important for employees with diabetes.

You can read more about some awesome company wellness initiatives that are worth looking into here.

In the meantime here are a few examples:

Fitting in Fitness – Offering a discounted gym membership to employees or having a gym on-site will encourage your teams to stay fit and active.

Offer a More Liberal PTO and Sick Days Policy – First off, having more days off can help your employees feel more refreshed. Second, you don’t want your employees to be forced to come in when they aren’t feeling great, as that can put your other employees at risk of becoming ill as well.

Prioritize Mental Health – In addition to making sure your employees are feeling good physically, their mental health is equally as important. For this wellness program, you can take a page out of JetBlue’s book. The airline company offers unlimited access to LifeSolutions—a mental health resource.

How Pops Diabetes Care Can Help Your Employees Stay Safe and Save Money

If you don’t offer your employees a diabetes management solution yet, here are some great reasons to consider doing so today:

• By offering a diabetes management solution to your employees, you can help ensure that they are in total control of their diabetes at all times.
• By taking on the responsibility of finding the right solution for your employees, you can save your employees money, as they will no longer need to purchase such items on their own.
• When you give your employees a dependable, quality diabetes management solution, they can go through the workday with less stress knowing that they have the right tools to stay healthy.
• If your employees are better managing their diabetes, it saves you money on the cost of your claims.

At Pops, we noticed that there was a gap in diabetes management technology for a solution that was easy to use and easy to carry. That’s where Rebel comes in, which was created on the idea that diabetes management should be easier all-around. Rebel combines the traditional blood sugar testing kit with a one-step virtual care system that fits in the back of your pocket, allowing you to test at any time and anywhere using something you carry around with you every day—your smartphone.

To get started on offering Rebel and Mina (the virtual diabetes management system that accompanies Rebel), reach out to us today! We’re looking forward to showing you how Rebel will help improve your employee’s lives, day in and day out!