Comments on: How ethnic profiling can lower benefits costs

By: S.L.

S.L. — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:32:23 +0000

James, what minority group does this “person” belong to when you say, “A person who is raised on eating the intestines and other scrap parts of animals are more likely to develop chronic disease in adulthood.” How did you come about this information? When you say intestines, are you referring to chitlins?

By: Meg

Meg — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:29:32 +0000

To my mind, the very use of the term “ethnic profiling” puts this whole subject in a negative light. If all employers always had the best of intentions and all employees completely trusted their employers, I wouldn’t have a job. This is a slippery slope, one best navigated without regard to the probability of any employee’s genetic tendencies. Better to apply wellness programs across the board and let employees choose for themselves the screenings and programs that are, in their own judgement, best suited to help them manage their health on their own.

By: James

James — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 23:56:48 +0000

Often cultural diet practices are driven by socio-economic status. Income or the lack thereof determines the types of food one might consume over a lifetime. A person who is raised on eating the intestines and other scrap parts of animals are more likely to develop chronic disease in adulthood. Whole grain breads and cereals are more expensive than processed varieties. What is a choice of eat what you can or die evolves into die because you ate what you could. Additionally the lack of income makes preventative measure virtually impossible, for well-care visits and annual physicals are too expensive, so trends go undetected until they become out of control.

If employers want to truly influence employee health and reduce benefit expenses long-term, they should pay all employees a living wage based on the cost of living where they reside. Minimum wage contributes to minimum health and minimum life.

By: S.L.

S.L. — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:49:40 +0000

I agree Gwynn, the terms ethnic profiling immediately conjures up negative thoughts as the articles states. I perfectly understand the purpose of this article, however it would have been best to say “cultural profiling” instead. It’s already enough minority ethnic profiling that has absolutely nothing to do with healthcare.

Some solutions to the healthcare culture shock: hire interpreters and bilingual health educators. My background is healthcare, and countless times I’ve encountered patients at doctor’s offices who didn’t speak English and we had to scramble around until we could find someone who could understand the patient or find an interpreter. I’ve also worked in hospitals that have interpreters on hand that can assist with a phone call.

By: R. B.

R. B. — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:49:14 +0000

I think it’s kind of silly that we try to pretend like there are no differences between ethnic groups. Obviously, there are, and those differences truly make life more fun and interesting. However, I also think it’s totally and completely wrong to discriminate in any way because of someone’s race, gender, etc. I think we have a responsibility to use information in a positive manner and this article is a good example of responsibly and ethically using data. The goal should always be to better take care of the employee population and to better meet their needs. If we are doing that, specifically in a wellness plan, it will reduce cost in the long term because employees will be getting the quality of preventative care they need to better manage their health. Nothing good will be accomplished by wearing blinders and denying differences. In a situation like this, it’s only when we respect and value those differences that we truly banish discrimination. Then we can focus on what we can do to better meet those varying needs.

By: Gwynn Simpson

Gwynn Simpson — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:04:04 +0000

Iknow you mean well however your choice of terminology “ethnic profiling” is totally unintelligent!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 19:53:05 +0000

Or, Dawna – also frightening – some might not hire from a certain racial group because of the cost of the conditions they are prone too.

Just a point of information, ghee is not vegan…butter is an animal product. Whether one is a vegetarian, vegan, or non-veg s/he has to make healthful choices within his/her own standards. You can make healthful or unhealthful choices no matter what your style of diet. Perhaps it’s not the lack of understanding of how to alter their habits; perhaps it’s the same lack of desire to alter that keeps people at fast food drive-thrus.

By: Toni

Toni — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:57:01 +0000

There is another racial group that is not mentioned – Asian Indians. A large amount of that population is vegen but the preparation is thru something called ‘Ghee’ which is nothing but clarified butter. The consumption of cooking oil is also extremely high. I work with a larget number people from this ethnic group and there is very little concept or understanding how to alter their eating and cooking habits.

By: Dawna B.

Dawna B. — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:15:45 +0000

Your tagline really caught my eye, and I was relieved to see the direction this article was taking; i.e., “know your employee population, and make sure your benefits and wellness programs are designed to serve that population”.

However, I think there is a danger of potential use of this information for the wrong purposes. Although I like to believe that most companies act with integrity, there is a possibility, especially for those who are self-insured, to review annual benefit usage and reduce or eliminate coverage for certain conditions that prove to be high-loss items.

So I would caution others to consider this possibility, and ensure that this doesn’t happen – and that the information you gather is used to benefit the employee population, while at the same time reducing your benefit costs.