How employers can establish ‘recovery-friendly’ workplaces

September 18, 2023

I participated in a webinar last week hosted by the Health Action Alliance, and sponsored by Shatterproof, a nonprofit organization dedicated to decreasing the stigma associated with mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Important points from my panel:

-        Opioid use disorder is common, affecting about 2% of the population. Eleven percent of the population has alcohol use disorder. These figures are from a survey performed in 2021 by the federal agency SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

-        Substance abuse costs employers more than $35 billion annually in medical costs alone, and likely much more in lost productivity loss, accidents and turnover.

-        Employers can create a culture where employees feel safe seeking help for themselves or their families and feel confident that they have access to the resources they need to address substance use disorder.

-        Those in recovery can be excellent employees, combining gratitude for an opportunity to get their life back on track with drive, dedication to the job, and loyalty.

Implications for employers:

-        Health insurance plan design should include comprehensive coverage for substance use care including

-        Medication assisted treatment (MAT)

-        Evidence-based outpatient behavioral therapy

-        Plans should not include prior authorization requirements, step therapy or arbitrary limits

-        An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) can help members navigate to providers for further care, and help employees determine how best to help family members in trouble.

-        Demand that carriers provide adequate network access to addiction specialists and psychiatrists and Master’s level certified alcohol and drug addiction counselors (CADAC)

-        Train managers to decrease stigma and refer to and support addiction treatment

-        Consider programs like Shatterproof to educate employees and destigmatize addiction, and assure employees that treatment they or family members obtain for substance use is strictly private.

-        Put naloxone (Narcan) in worksite first aid kits to treat employees or visitors who have a narcotic overdose at the workplace

You can see a video of this webinar at the Health Action Alliance website (It will be posted later this week)

Tomorrow: FDA to require simple patient drug labeling

Thanks for reading.  You can find previous posts in the Employer Coverage archive

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