Winston Churchill once famously said that "democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."
 
The same can be said for health care today, and whether you are an advocate of a universal health care plan or private health savings accounts you will probably admit that the current system is unable to meet both patient needs and the fiscal constraints of those who pay into the system, including employers who need to have health coverage to retain top talent.
 
But, flawed though it may be, our current system is the one we have, and will have for the (foreseeable) future. This leaves us with only one option: to work with our health plans and do our best to keep them economically feasible. One way to do this by maintaining the costs incurred by high risk employees.
 
A recent survey by the National Center for Health Statistics found that over the last 15 years, 70 percent of health care costs have been incurred due to preventable illnesses. Behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking, and even failing to use seat belts have driven costs to almost astronomical levels. Some companies have taken this information and created plans to combat these unhealthy behaviors through the use of financial incentive programs.
 
These programs engage employees in taking charge of their own health by reducing the risk (and thereby the cost) of the amount of care the need. To explore this further, CCM is presenting Health Care Cost Containment: Using Financial Incentive Strategies on Wednesday November 5th, 2008 at 2:00 pm. This informative 75 minute session will give you the knowledge needed to examine your own health plan and figure out ways to rein in escalating health costs.