BUSINESS GROUP OUTLINES 4 OBJECTIVES

The rise in Health Care costs in the United States has been near the 20 percent range in recent years. This skyrocketing significantly affects the bottom line of many businesses. In some cases businesses have been forced to close their doors because of these added costs.

Two years ago several businesses in the Cape Girardeau area came together to share ideas on how to address this problem. Those initial meetings in May of 1989 centered around what each business was doing internally to control costs.

Many had implemented wellness programs, many had changed benefits and plans design, and nearly all had shifted the health care cost increase to their employees. This cost shift negatively impacted their employees, who no longer received the benefits from their companies that they had grown to enjoy. This cost shift even decreased productivity in some cases and thus had a double adverse impact on several businesses.

The group of businesses that met in May of 1989 shared ideas, and they learned that they could learn from each other. They also realized they had a critical need to work with the community to help control health care costs.

Business group objectives

As the group grew in members, it began to explore what businesses elsewhere were doing about this problem. This led to the founding of the Cape Girardeau Area Business Health Care Group, which centered its efforts on 4 objectives:

1.) Data Collection many companies did not have systems to track where they were spending health care dollars.

2.) Education everyone needs more education and understanding of all aspects of the health care system.

3.) Legislation how could we impact the law to bring about change that would help us control costs?

4.) Action plans with providers the business community needs to work with hospitals and doctors to bring about the best change for all.

In March of 1990 the Cape Business Group officially registered in Missouri. Its first task was to hire an Executive Director, someone educated in the field of Health Care who had knowledge and experience and could lead efforts around the four objectives noted above. Since that time, the Cape Girardeau Business Health Care Group has hired its director, and it has grown to 26 businesses with 6,600 employees representing 22,000 lives.

Divided we fall

Since its official formation, discussion groups have been formed with the hospitals and the Medical Society. These efforts must continue and must show an improvement in controlling costs in Cape Girardeau or some Cape Girardeau businesses will close down. Or they will go elsewhere to meet their needs.

Change can happen if everyone in the community works together. To say "I can't" or to say "it is not my fault" or to say "we can't meet all your needs" is no longer an acceptable position or answer. Everyday, businesses are forced to find new ways of doing business. If we just raised our prices every time a health-care increase came along, we would quickly be uncompetitive in this very competitive world.

There must be affordable, quality health care in Cape Girardeau for Cape Girardeau to prosper.

In order to achieve this, we must develop a partnership of businesses, doctors, hospitals and insurance companies that is a win-win environment for all. Remember, "United we stand, divided we fall."

Bob Cranmer is President of the Cape Girardeau Business Health Care Group. He is employed by Procter & Gamble.