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Show Notes

Date: July 13, 2022      

Episode Season and Number: Season 1, Episode 8      

Episode Title: Unpacking the New Urgency Surrounding Behavioral Health Benefits

In this week's episode, Abbey Dean sits down with Aaron Eaton, the Director of Sales at Marsh McLennan Agency, to discuss the importance of behavioral health benefits and practical solutions employers should explore.  

To listen to Episode 8 of This Week in Benefits, click here.      

Additional Recommended Reading      

Connect With Aaron Eaton (Marsh McLennan Agency)

This Week in Benefits, Episode 5

Episode Transcript

Abbey Dean: Hi, everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of This Week in Benefits, a podcast from the team at Mployer Advisor where we discuss all things employee benefits. I'm your host Abbey Dean Mployer Advisor's Head of Content, and thanks for joining us today. For this episode, I am excited because we will be focused entirely on the topic of behavioral health. Now, this is something we've touched on before in past episodes, but what we're going to do today with the help of a special guest, is dissect and analyze the new sense of urgency we're seeing from both brokers and employers around the topic of behavioral health. So to help me do that today and answer some questions, I am joined by Aaron Eaton. He is the Director of Sales at Marsh McLennan based out of Kansas City.

Hi everyone. Welcome to this week's episode of This Week in Benefits. Today is a very exciting day because we have Aaron Eaton with us on the phone to talk about behavioral health. Aaron, would you mind introducing yourself?

Aaron Eaton: Absolutely, Abbey. Thank you. Good morning everyone. My name is Aaron Eaton. I am the Director of Sales for the Health and Welfare Practice of Marsh McLennan here in Kansas, and I'm happy to join you folks today.

Abbey Dean: And I should say I am extra grateful to Aaron Eaton because we actually recorded this podcast once already, and due to technical issues, it did not see the light of day. So he is redoing this from the kindness of his heart, so we are extra grateful. So Aaron, when I first reached out to you and I said hey, do you want to be on the podcast? If so, would you want to talk about, you responded back right away. You said yes, and I want to talk about behavioral health. Can you tell me and tell our listeners why that topic was top of mind for you straight away?

Aaron Eaton: Yeah, absolutely. Behavioral health, for one reason or another, has never really been in the spotlight. It's kind of been shunned. It's kind of been pushed to the side. It's that one thing we simply just don't want to talk about or we don't talk about. And if there was anything that was good, and if we use the word good in quotes from COVID-19 or from the pandemic, what came out of the pandemic was behavioral health. It was the ideology that a lot of people have been suffering, and that during COVID-19 , it kind of brought to the forefront that people are now suffering in different ways. So there's this new energy around the ability to recognize that this is an illness, it's something that needs to be treated. It's something that employers need to take extremely seriously because at the end of the day, that's our jobs to make sure that our employees and their welfare is taken care of. So from a claims perspective, we see it insanely rising, 60% or more increase in claims are behavioral health. And at the end of the day, it's our job as brokers and consultants. It's our job as employers to not only take care of the cancers and the other heart conditions, the other major illnesses, but also play close attention to one that really has never had its time in the sun.

Abbey Dean: And for those of you who are unfamiliar Aaron Eaton is, I have to say your first and last name, apparently they just go together. Well, what is the difference, if there is one, between conversations around behavioral health and mental health?

Aaron Eaton: That's a good question. So they often can get confused or put together in the same sentence. So we'll kind of just go through the basic differences between behavioral and mental health if you will? If that'll help.

Abbey Dean: Yes, that'd be great.

Aaron Eaton: Alright. So let's talk first about behavioral health. So behavioral health, what it does is it refers to basically how behaviors impact our or an individual's well-being. And mental health is primarily concerned with the individual's state of being. So if you think of behaviors, things that kind of impact us on a day-to-day or a night tonight and mental is the state, how we currently are. And so for example, why I wanted to talk about it was the pandemic. Well, the pandemic was something we never expected to happen. And due to its occurrence it kind of changed the psyche of some people, so to speak where every day you get up eight to five, you work in an office and that's your thing, and you go home and you do dinner with the kids and whatnot, and you have your life the pandemic shut down all of this.

So this influenced new behaviors and people who maybe were socialites, people who were maybe antisocial had this new kind of obstacle in front of them that made them not have a regular way of life. And then when the pandemic started to end, some employees had to go back to work. And so these new behaviors were thrusted on people, and the brain is such a mysterious thing that it reacts differently to all these influences. And so that's where the behavioral part comes from. New behaviors can affect our mental health, our state of being, if that makes sense.

Abbey Dean: No, those are good clarifying points. Thank you for breaking those down. So when clients approach you or you're advising clients about behavioral health, what problems are they hoping to solve? And then what solutions are you presenting to them?

Aaron Eaton: Great question. See, the problem with behavioral health is employers simply don't know what they don't know. And so it's impossible for an employer to ask their employees, hey if you have any behavioral or any mental health issues, let us know. There's certain HIPAA and HPI that prevents us from asking those types of questions. And unless they have a group with a hundred or more lives, they may not be getting the sophistication of reporting from their carrier partners to talk about people who've been diagnosed with some of these issues. So really the concern becomes, well, we know that some percentage of our population is affected. And those employees could be the CEO, they could be the CFO, they could be the owners, they could be the rank and file, they could be anyone in the organization who's struggling with some type of behavioral health issue.

And so their biggest obstacle is, well, how do we bring it front and center and let our employees know that there are various types of outlets or various types of programs that can help them with these ailments? And so they often ask, well how do we start communicating about that? What's the PC way of doing it? How do we communicate without pointing a finger or making people feel bad or feel part of a class of a group. Behavioral health was shunned. So how did we talk about something that was in the shadows? And more and more employers are now more encouraged to just have that open conversation, to have the blanket email, the blanket conversation saying, Hey, look, we are here for you. We went through something for two and a half, almost three years that no one anticipated and no one knew how to deal with.

And so it's okay to have anxiety, it's okay to have depression. It's okay to just not feel like yourself or to be worried or stressed or all the different types of ailments that come along with these behavioral issues because there are people who can help talk to you about these things. And if necessary there are medications out there as well. So it's just, their biggest issue is how do we talk about it and what's the best way, what's the most uplifting, what's the most empathetic way of doing it? And that's the role of being a broker is helping them put together that puzzle because it's often coming from HR, and HR needs all the help in the world because they have every single problem that lands on their desk. And so we have to lead with empathy and sympathy, but we also have to lead with data and deliverables.

And so that's the hard part is making sure that we want to follow the message and the cultural dynamic of that organization by making people aware that this issue is now at hand, but the good employer that they worked for wants to take care of the greater good. They want to take care of their population. So it's just enabling them to think maybe outside the box, enabling them to put words to paper, to put some type of marketing campaign together, or make their employees aware of all the programs that EAPs or the different types of benefits that they have that can help them with these issues.

Abbey Dean: And there are a lot of different components and short-term and long-term goals within that. One thing you mentioned that I want to circle back to when you're talking about leadership, especially I would imagine with a topic that was very taboo, I would say, or if not taboo, then it's hard to be an employee going up to a manager or someone else being like, Hey, I have this issue. That's a hard thing to do. Can you speak a little bit more to the importance of having that conversation and that willingness to talk about it come from the top, from leadership at those companies?

Aaron Eaton: Absolutely. Because what you said is a 100% correct. I couldn't imagine an employee coming up to me and saying, look Aaron, I have debilitating anxiety. I cannot function in social settings anymore. I'm actually on medication. The pandemic, for lack of better terms, it scared me and now I'm afraid to go out in social settings, but my job is social. That's a different conversation. That's them bringing their issue to the top when it should be the top leading the conversation. I've always said that the best leaders are the ones who pick up the mop and actually clean up the mess and do all the hard work. And so by them recognizing and saying, look we're in this battle with you. We recognize this is something that's clear and present today, and that every single one of our employees. Maybe even some of us executives are suffering with it, but we're going to help you.

We're going to help us get through it together. And the message is getting through it together and showing them that no one is more important than the janitor versus the CFO, the CEO, they're all the same. We are all people. And that message of togetherness actually helps from a retention perspective. I mean, who wouldn't want to work with a company whose CEO drafts a video or an email and says, look we're going to focus on behavioral health and we want to make sure that the mental well-being of our entire organization is the best it can possibly be. And for those of you who are suffering, we don't want to know personally because we want to avoid that type of information. But here are outlets, here are people you can call. Here are things that you can do to help alleviate that pain. That's an organization that everyone should want to work for, an organization that cares about their population, but it's an organization that is delivering the message in a very open type of conversational platform. They're not pointing the finger again or saying it's bad that you have this, but it's saying we recognize this is apparent.

Again, it's just being very careful and very enthusiastic and very helpful with your communications. And that's why I think having it come from the top down reduces the stress, right? Because everyone's always, the greatest fear is, if I bring my issues to the forefront, then maybe I'm less valuable as an employee now maybe I'll be fired. Maybe I won't get the next promotion. Because they'll see this as a negative when instead at the top brings a message down and says look these are things that we see people experiencing. Maybe some of you are doing this as well. Here's how you can get help. It removes all of that concern.

Abbey Dean: So let's say that I am in the suite, in the C-suite at a company, and I have read headlines and I've seen reports, and I empathize, and I understand that this is a problem that is affecting employees nationwide and that maybe there should be a response to it or that I have some responsibility. Can you tell me what the business case argument would be, again for why CEOs, CFOs, human resource leaders should be thinking about this as a business decision, as well as maybe a moral one as well?

Aaron Eaton: Well, yeah. I mean, right there, moral, that's the answer. The C-suite has a moral and an ethical responsibility to take care of their employees. Their employees are giving them more time than what they spend with their family at work every day. So the C-Suite is morally and ethically responsible to take care of them. I mean, that's the relationship that we make. That's the handshake. I will work for you, you will take care of me. But to, I guess specifically address your question, most organizations are looking for growth. Most organizations looking for increased revenue. Most organizations are looking for retaining top talent. And so if those are things that are part of their objectives year over year, then of course they have to have these programs in place knowing this is the nationwide threat to ensure that their organization stays afloat, that their business remains impact.

Because what if an individual who has panic disorder brought on by the pandemic is their highest sales professional who brings in millions of dollars of revenue per year, all of a sudden's like, look, I cannot function the way that I used to because of X, Y, and Z. And they don't give that person help. And they develop depression. And depression leads to suicide. I mean, this is case studies. People who are left untreated with behavioral health issues. It's a slippery slope that does lead to suicide. And there's nothing more important than someone's life. I don't care what the company does, what the organization's ethical or moral stances on behavioral health in some way, shape or form, they owe it to their employees to try to get them help. And that's just simply it. It's an owed responsibility. And I think with the increase in claims, again, we're seeing 60% increase in claims in behavioral health.

I have a client who spent almost $600,000 just on this facet alone since April, up to about April. So it's impacting their bottom line. And so they have to be very aware of what's going on. And so it's, again, it's their moral responsibility to take care of their employees, but it's also their responsibility to make sure their organization stays afloat. And if they're experiencing severe losses on a run loss ratio in this avenue that they're not addressing, it's going to happen year over year over year, they're going to have high cost claimants that continue. And so it's kind of a two-sided approach. Take care of your employees, but also work for cost containment.

Abbey Dean: What questions about behavioral health should employees be asking their brokers if they know they want to either implement a new benefits policy or unsure how to proceed? Can you give me some examples of what would be a good way to approach that?

Aaron Eaton: Yeah, so I mean, a broker some of the questions they should ask an employer is one do you have a program that's structured around mental or behavioral health? And they may say yes or no, depending upon that answer. But it's just getting to the basis of what do they have in store already? Do they have an EAP, an employee assistance program? Are they working with their current carrier, insurance carrier? Because a lot of the carriers have their own baked- in behavioral health or mental health programs as well. So it's kind of taking a list, if you will, of what are all the free or embedded services that are already at their disposal that they may or may not be using. And then you go toward the expense side, right? So what is our budget? Back when wellness came out, let's say in 2006, that was the biggest question.

Well, what is wellness and what's the budget, and how are we going to use it? Well behavioral health, the same thing. What is the budget that you're willing to spend to help reduce these claims and to help to make your employees better? And so you create a budget that you kind of back into because there are things out there that could cost, such as behavioral health programs by third parties or different vendors, who obviously are out there to make money, but their objective is to make employee populations better to reestablish that culture. And so you have to just the same way you do with the benefits question, you want to talk about what benefits are offered, what the costs are, and you're kind of just taking that, the question-answer session with the employer to find out what exactly is out there and what they're using and what they're not using. And more importantly, what they're aware of. They may be not even aware of things that are offered to them whatsoever. Let's pause, because I forgot the second part of your question.

Abbey Dean: Well, it was, so it was what employees could be asking as well.

Aaron Eaton: Ah right. So if you're an employee for an organization and behavioral health is on your mind, the questions that they would ask is, I would simply just go to HR and say, Hey, look, do we have an EAP? What is our benefits package through carrier X, Y, and Z? Do they have any programs that are associated with behavioral and mental health? And that might be a hard question to ask because you don't want to tip off HR that maybe you're suffering with things. They can just simply ask if there is an employee hotline that I could call, whether that's offered through my broker like a benefit call center, for example, or if that's offered through the carrier and then buy so they can make a phone call and ask some of these more direct questions. Or just as importantly, they could also go to the URL of the carrier in which they have their insurance through and just do a quick search for behavioral health.

Because most of them, if not all of them, have realized this is a huge issue. And like I said, are developing or capping off the finalities of their behavioral health and mental health or mental disparity programs. And so I would just have the employees go to HR and ask, again, the EAP questions, probably the first one, because that'll be a very leading way to get to what they need. And if they don't have to ask HR, they can just simply explore what options are available through their carrier if they want to have more of a hidden conversation, if you will.

Abbey Dean: Is there anything else around the topic of behavioral health that you think is important to mention that we haven't discussed yet?

Aaron Eaton: I mean, we've already kind of discussed it, but the most important part of behavioral health is ensuring that your employees get help. And because there are so many statistics out there that show that whether it's anxiety to panic disorder, to depression to even mood disorders, to eating disorders, all different types of behavioral health issues that are out there that if they are untreated do lead to suicide. And suicide statistically has been up year over year since the pandemic. And so that's probably the most important part I think of this entire discussion. Yes, it's important for employers to have some type of program. Yes, it's important for employers to have these conversations, but the most important topic of this entire thing is you're doing work to save lives or you're doing work to better someone's life. Don't look at behavioral health as something that's to be shunned, but it's actually something that should be talked about.

And that's probably the most important part is it's no longer a bad word. It's no longer something to avoid. It's something that's just happening. It's no one's fault since it's no one's fault. Just make sure they're getting taken care of. People are employees are people, and you should want to take care of your neighbor or want to take care of your coworker or want to take care of her care of whoever it happens to be. And that's why I think behavioral health deserves its time in the sun, because people are our biggest assets when it comes to human capital management. So take care of your employees.

Abbey Dean: Thank you very much, Aaron, for your expertise and for bringing much-deserved light and air to this important topic.

Aaron Eaton: Oh, you're very welcome, Abbey. Thank you.

Abbey Dean: Thank you. And that wraps up today's episode. Thank you again to Aaron Eaton for joining us today. Now, if you have not yet, we would love it if you would go and subscribe to the podcast, even better if you would leave us or if you would be forever grateful. Now, you can also leave us a voicemail message if you would like to suggest ideas for future episodes, have follow-up questions, or just want to leave a comment. So check out that neat feature. And yeah, thanks for listening everyone. We will see you next time.

Thank you for listening to this week's episode of This Week in Benefits, brought to you by Mployer Advisor. Mployer Advisor is changing the way employers search, evaluate, and select insurance brokers. Our intuitive platform connects employers and employees to get great benefits and insurance plans by providing employers with actionable data to easily evaluate and select the best advisor for your company's specific needs. To learn more about Mployer Advisor and our suite of products, please visit our website at mployeradvisor.com and tune in next time. Thanks.

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